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Scientists fertilise eggs from last two northern white rhinos
Scientists are hopeful that a viable embryo will develop, which can be frozen and transferred to a surrogate.
World-first procedure offers fresh hope for the species 

Scientists are one step closer to saving the northern white rhino from total extinction after managing to fertilise eggs from the last two surviving females.

Najin and Fatu are the last of their species in the world, after the two remaining males - Suni and Sudan - died in 2014 and 2018 respectively. The survival of the species now rests on pioneering artificial reproduction techniques.

A team of vets managed to harvest 10 oocytes from Najin and Fatu at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, a procedure that has never been done in northern white rhinos before. A probe was guided by ultrasound and oocytes harvested from the ovaries whilst the animals were under general anaesthetic.

According to Ol Pejeta, seven out of 10 eggs (four from Fatu, three from Najin) successfully matured and were artificially inseminated using frozen sperm from two bulls, Suni and Saut.

Scientists are hopeful that a viable embryo will develop, which can be frozen and transferred to a southern white rhino surrogate mother. The results of the embryo development are expected around 10 September.

The breakthrough is the result of an international collaboration between the Leibniz Institute in Berlin, Avantea, Dvůr Králové Zoo, Ol Pejeta and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The cohort said it has taken years of research, development and practice, as the technique and equipment had to be developed from scratch.

Brigadier (Rtd) John Waweru, director general at KWS, said: “"We are delighted that this partnership gets us one step closer to prevent extinction of the northern white rhinos. This is particularly touching given the heartbreaking death of Sudan, the last male, who died of old age last year in Kenya.”

Cesare Galli from Italian laboratory Avantea, added: “Yesterday’s operation means that producing a northern white rhino embryo in vitro – which has never been done before – is a tangible reality for the first time.”

Images © Ami Vitale

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.