Scot scientists to save one of the rarest animal on the planet http://www.ibream.org/Launch/Scotsman17April.pdf
Sample of semen from Southern whites were collected in South Africa Some news connecting with the mentioned article beforehand: an electrical ejaculator was used to obtain a sample of semen from three Southern white rhinos by German reproductive biologists and Hungarian vets at Lapalala Wilderness Reserve in South Africa approx. one month earlier. The samples were transported to Budapest Zoo.
I beg to differ again As not all vetinarians are involved and specialised in AI field . Reproductive biologists is problem the better term , especially if this is what they specialise in Orycteropus , I think you used the best definition possible .
@Nigel: I happen to know the IZW people involved (Hildebrandt, Göritz...) in person, and they're all veterinarians. The IZW does engage biologists, too, but the particular people here are veterinarians-and that's also their official job title. Animal gynaecology, andrology, obstetrics and reproduction sciences are in Germany (where the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research-IZW-is based) to 99% part of the veterinary medicine and its practitioners. It doesn't matter whether a veterinarian does or does not do AI-he/she is the main professional entitled to do work in this field. One exception are professional " Besamer" (inseminators) in the field of domestic animals, who are allowed to impregnate f.e. cows or sows with sperm samples. The German education system (like most other western versions) strictly differs between a veterinary medicine and a biology degree/job title. It additionally allows veterinarians a further education/ specialisation in a certain field of practice to gain the title "Fachtierarzt", among others for gynaecology, reproduction sciences etc. Therefore, my previous correction is valid. Thanks O. for Your obligingness.
Sun Wukong had some informed opinions on the subject matter in hand, and I like to add on to that. The Dvur Kralove Zoo is the only zoo to ever have naturally reproduced the northern taxon. The original core group consisted of 2.4 individuals. 2.3 were imported ex Sudan, a 0.1 immigrant ex UK actually bred (she arrived pregnant with a calf sired by a southern white rhino bull, hence the hybrid female at Dvur). Aka 1980-1985 the Dvur complex was remodelled with the express purpose to breed only from the northern white rhino. All southern white rhino at the zoo - which at the time was successfully breeding at Dvur - were redistributed to collections in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. After relocation only the Usti animals actually bred, the others were mostly held in pair situations (of which were are now aware, breeding is not stimulated). The original Dvur group had at the onset of 1986 yet to overcome the fact that the original breeding northern white rhino female had passed away and none of the other wildborn females had bred successfully. The cooperation with San Diego on the reproductive front did not come to pass untill 1989 when 1.2 Dvur wild caught individuals were relocated to San Diego WAP. San Diego WAP southern white rhino herd had at that time been successful and one expected similar success in a large savannah range setting with a competitor bull in the Khartoum male already at San Diego WAP. The latter presented himself as a non starter in the breeding and was never interested in any of the females. Similarly to the San Diego efforts with northern white rhinos, the southern white rhino breeding programme ran into difficulties with only 1 captive-born female actually breeding (despite their impressive record with wild born southerns). This situation has persevered till the present. No breeding in the northerns and in effect next to no breeding in the southerns. This summer San Diego WAP will actually be bringing in new captive-born females from other US collections to restart the breeding programme and change the non-breeders to a public exhibit area in the WAP. It is unrealistic to expect that at this moment or any previous occassion any respected zoo collection other than Dvur Kralove Zoo would be able to improve the breeding record. The IZW team is trying yet to get the 2 receptive and reproductively able females (both captive-borns) to reproduce. Perhaps they will go on a similar crash course as is now being tried with AI on non-breeding southern black rhino females at Dubbo! During the 1990's discussions were started at a Global Captive Rhino Action Plan planning meeting to get the Dvur Kralove Zoo and Garamba Park to work together on a mixing exercise of both Sudan/Uganda and Republic of Congo northern white rhino. This resulted in a stalemate due in large part to intransigence on the part of the Congolese authorities. In effect in 2005/6 and again this year - before the April 2008 rhino capture planning survey was initiated in Garamba - Dvur Kralove Zoo re-proposed this plan, only now to be thwarted by the Congolese authorities maintaining that they could go it alone. The plan actually entailed sending some of the reproductively healthy individuals ex Dvur to Kenya and to mix them with wild caught individuals saved from the poaching hell in Garamba. The Garamba population - at the time still in the 10-20's - then plummeted to only 3-4 confirmed individuals and the Garamba Park was overrun by Sudanese and Uganda rebel militias that poached ivory and rhino horn left right and centre. At this moment in time it seems the northern white rhino is down to 1.1 at San Diego and 2.3 at Dvur Kralove with perhaps - and only perhaps - 2-3 wild born individuals left in Garamba. To now infer that Aussie zoos would provide a better climate over the Czech Republic seems a little presumptuous. All the more so since the Aussie southern white rhino breeding programme - far from belittling their recent successes - is due in large part to importation of fresh young founders direct ex South Africa. Even in this population, several wild born females already present themselves at their current zoological establishment as non-breeders and no-one seems to have an inkling why (Perth Zoo sent out a non-breeder to NZ, and also both Monarto and Werribee have non-breeding females). We are now at a stage that we are beginning to understand the reproductive biology and ecology of white rhinos and transplant this knowledge to the captive situation. However, we are a long way off from actually fully understanding their reproductive biology and only when we do will we be able to confront the non-breeding wild borns issue and non-breeding sibling pairings and forestalling the cystic biopsies that occur in the early 20's in non-breeding whites. So, realistically Dvur and the IZW team are at the moment the only modus operandi to get the remaining northern white rhinos to breed and give birth to new calves and somehow resurrect the subspecies.
Recent surveys even indicate that there might be none of the wild specimen left...And as mentioned before: I wouldn't count on the 1.1 in San Diego in terms of reproduction-just like that criterion would also decrease the number of suitable animals in Dvur to 1 male (Suni) and 1-2 possibly suitable females. Let's cross the fingers for the IZW, but all in all, this is a pretty bad basis to start from...
Jelle. A very comprehensive summary of the current situation.... Do you have details of the UK female? Was it London's 'Mashobeni' ? I though she was a Southern (while her mate Ben was a Northern.) I know of nowhere else that bred White rhino at that time. If it was her presumably she became pregnant when moved into the Whipsnade herd?
Hi Jana, I was just about to list all the Dvur individuals, but you beat me past the post. Do you know by any chance the date of death for Saut (he is no longer alive)?
Sorry, Jelle, I do not know the date of death for Saút. I have deleted my previous posting, so you can list the rhinos in systhematic way.
Re the Northern female that went to Dvur from from the Uk... Where is 'Zoo prescot'?- is it a location name for one of the Safari Parks?(Knowlsey?)
Jana, You shouldn't have. I very much respect your informed opinion and info. You are the authority on Czech, Slovak and Central European zoos, not me. Anyhow, here is the current list: M Sudan b. 1972 Shambe, Sudan BREEDER M Saut b. 1972 Shambe, Sudan - died 2006/7 BREEDER F Nasima b. 1965 Uganda - died 6/1992 B/L ex Knowsley BREEDER F Nola b. 1974 Shambe, Sudan - transferred to SD WAP 1989 d. 5/2007 F Nuri b. 1973 Shambe, Sudan - died 1/1982 F Nadi b. 1972 Shambe, Sudan - transferred to SD WAP 1989 F Nesari b. 1972 Shambe, Sudan Captive-born M Suni b. 6/1980 SautxNasima F Nabire b. 11/1983 SudanxNasima F Najin b. 7/1989 SudanxNasima F Fatu b. 6/2000 SautxNajin + F Nasi b. 11/1977 Knowsley sirexNasima (simumxcottoni hybrid) ***** The explanation for the non-breeding of the original imports remains somewhat clouded in mystery. The northern whites were imported in almost the same time-frame as the southern whites. The latter bred in a group formation. Why the northern whites did not breed when the core group reached 7-9 years of age is shrouded in speculative assumptions. I will not go into that here. I have to study the earlier essays by Dvur people on their rhino herds. Before getting back to you all, I will first confer by pm with Jana on the issue.
Nothing new, but I mention it here for the sake of completeness Poachers kill last four wild northern white rhinos - Times Online
Hi Sun, This article has gone out over the summer and describes the status of most rhino species in the light of recent conservation measures. Sadly, the title re northern white rhinos is at odds with reality and the article's contents. It should have read FEARED EXTINCT instead of last 4 killed by poachers. But all to often journalists create their liberties with the truth. Reading is filtering information and than concluding. However, most readers are put in the blind spot for titles ..... At this moment, trackers ex Kenya are combing the Garamba park for evidence of survival of some of the 4 northern rhinos found in 2004-6. Even the African Parks Foundation which has been running the park for the past year or so is aiming to capture the last ones and ship them out to a safe haven (presumably Kenya for conservation breeding). We must hope that finally the IZW team and captive managers at Dvur will succeed to breed the available bulls with Najin and Fatu, the only 2 reproductively non-senescent northern whites left, ................ (fingers crossed, fingers crossed, fingers crossed). Remember people: EXTINCTION IS FOREVER!!!!!
@jelle: Like I previously wrote, this is indeed no new news, circling around in May/June 2008...However, there is indeed some sad truth behind this: no evidences of the last 4 could be found in the most recent survey, strongly indicating that they are no longer alive. Well, hope dies last... BTW: did You get my PM?
Very possibly - At KSP in 2006 the oldest female white rhino Maggie (Maggot) was thought to be of the Northern race of white rhinoceros, she was wild caught in the right place and was the oldest animal in the park - also her appearence was dramatically different from the others (Southern), which have been breeding well lately. Therefore Maggies son Bud (now abreeder at KSP) would be a hybrid, meaning some of the babies born lately could be 1/4 Northern????? ....Don't quote me on this as I could be terribly mistaken! Just thought others may be interested as this topic surfaced.............
According to the studbook data southern white rhino cow Maggie (proven breeder - 3.0) arrived from Natal Parks Board in November 1972 (b. 1966 est. age 6) with her conspecifics; another cow "unnamed" (died in March 1973) and bulls Lumpy (died July 1992), Mule (transferred to Woburn in 1982) and Arthur (transferred to Woburn in 1985, proven breeder 3.1 - 0.1 being hybrid). Thus S.African imports: 3.2. The northern white rhino cow Twink (b. 1965 est. age 6) arrived from Uganda in July 1971 and was transferred with her hybrid calf to Dvur Kralove in August 1977 (after it was discovered she really was a northern white). So, you may have had your infos mixed up. Regards, Jelle
