When veterinarians examined the three animals last month, they discovered that the male's sperm count was very low whereas the two females will neither get pregnant nor not carry a pregnancy to term.
Five years ago, four northern white rhinos were translocated from Dvůr Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya, with the hope that the natural environment could help them successfully reproduce.
It was heart-breaking when Ol Pejeta Conservancy conservationists reported last month that Suni, a male who was born in captivity, had died from unknown causes at the age of 34 but the other three are effectively infertile.
On Wednesday, Ol Pejeta Conservancy released yet another heartbreaking piece of news that recent medical examinations of the three shows that the species is doomed to extinction in a few years’ time, unless science helps.
One of the park officials revealed that they are considering de-extinction, an in vitro fertilisation and genetics-based science to try and keep the species alive.
“We always knew from the very beginning that the chances of this working were small even if they bred,” conceded Richard Vigne, Chief Executive of Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
The conservancy said that the artificial reproductive technique will possibly involve working with the rhinos’ genes and is it “could provide the last chance of survival for the world's most endangered mammal”.
“They've been returned to Africa from a zoo, and they've thrived in that environment. In that way it's been a success,” said Vigne. “The fact they haven't bred is clearly a massive disappointment, but there are new technologies being invented all the time to rescue technically extinct species,” he added.
The supposed fertilization experiment is likely to take place with a southern white surrogate mother but Vigne said that notwithstanding new reproductive technology, the species that is doomed to extinction in the next few years.
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