Nabiré, who was 31 years old, had been bred and raised in the Dvur Kralove Zoo, and her death leaves just three female northern white rhinos and one male still alive.
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The zoo’s director Premysl Rabas said, ‘Nabire’s death has brought another animal species close to complete extinction.’.
The northern white rhinoceros has been almost wiped out by hunting and poaching for their horns, and by wars in Africa, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.
In addition, he has a low sperm count, experts say.
Nola, seen in this image from the San Diego Safari Park’s Facebook page in January, is one of four northern white rhinos left in the world. San Diego Zoo Safari Park staff recently told the Los Angeles Times that Nola was cancer-free.
The dead rhino’s potentially healthy ovary and other tissue has been taken to an Italian laboratory, where her eggs may be harvested for future in vitro fertilization, the zoo said.
If it is possible at all, any IVF attempt will now nearly certainly require the implantation of a Northern White Rhino embryo in the closely related Southern White Rhino, which are more numerous.
“It is our moral obligation to try to save them”. We are the only ones, perhaps with San Diego Zoo, who have enough of collected biological material to do so.
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A zoo handout photo provided 18 December 2009 shows a Northern White Rhino named Fatu, walk into a practice transport box at the zoo in Dvur Kralove nad Labem, Czech Republic, 16 December 2009.
