LAIKIPIA, Kenya – Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has taken the leading role in concerted efforts to save the two known Norther White Rhinos left in the world.
The only two, Najin and Fatu, the last of their kind, live under 24/7 protection at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, Laikipia County.
With no surviving males, their species depends entirely on groundbreaking, scientifically assisted reproduction intervention.
Against this backdrop, KWS, as part of the Biorescue consortium, is leading efforts to save the species from imminent extinction.
Recently, a KWS-led team, headed by Dr. Isaac Lekolool and supported by Dr. Jeremiah Poghon, conducted critical reproductive procedures as part of time-sensitive NWR recovery efforts at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
In a statement, KWS said that a sterility check was undertaken on ‘Jomo,’ a Southern White Rhino teaser bull, who is used to detect oestrus on the surrogate Southern White Rhino females to prevent accidental pregnancies.
“Reproductive health assessment was carried out on one of the surrogate females, ‘Daly, and she was confirmed to be a suitable candidate for the surrogacy program to carry a Northern White Rhino embryo, which is an essential step in assisted reproduction,” the statement reads in part.
What are other partners working alongside KWS
Now in its seventh year, this ambitious project unites global partners, including KWS, the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Germany), Safari Park Dvůr Králové (Czech Republic), Avantea Laboratories (Italy), Padua University (Italy), Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (Germany), Kyushu University (Japan), Wildlife Research & Training Institute (Kenya), and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
“Through advanced reproductive technologies like IVF and surrogacy, they aim to bring Northern White Rhinos back to the wild,” the statement further reads.
KWS’s leadership in this pioneering initiative highlights its unwavering commitment to protecting Kenya’s wildlife.
Through collaboration and innovation, they are working to ensure the Northern White Rhino not only survives but thrives in the wild once more.
This comes after environmentalists called on the administration of President Donald Trump to rescind its decision to stop supporting important conservation initiatives that protect iconic at-risk species, such as anti-poaching patrols for endangered elephants and rhinos.
Trump has blocked international conservation grants handled by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), causing chaos for conservation non-profits worldwide.
These tens of millions of dollars in awards support the protection of endangered species in nations that lack the financial resources of the United States to fight against dangers like poaching.
How the funding freeze is hurting wildlife conservation
The Centre for Biological Diversity, an environmental organisation, threatened to sue the FWS if the funds weren’t reinstated.
It stated that the funds are essential for patrols protecting rhinos in Africa, whose numbers have decreased by 94% in the last century, as well as initiatives to lessen conflict between people and elephants and support the preservation of species like monarch butterflies and freshwater turtles.
According to Sarah Uhlemann, director of the center’s international program, “the Trump administration’s funding freeze for anti-poaching patrols and other international conservation work is heartbreaking, frustrating, and extremely illegal.”
“These Fish and Wildlife Service funds help protect elephants, rhinos, and other animals across the globe that Americans love. No one voted to sacrifice the world’s most iconic wildlife to satisfy some unelected billionaire’s reckless power trip.”
The centre wrote to the FWS that the funding halt was a violation of the US Endangered Species Act, which mandates that the government take at-risk species into account when making decisions, and that the rescinding of money was not in accordance with established agency procedure.
According to Uhlemann, “this madness must end, or some of the most endangered animals in the world will perish.”
Grants have been frozen as part of a larger crackdown by Trump and his billionaire supporter Elon Musk on US foreign aid. A judge has mandated that the freeze be lifted, but the government has not yet complied.
