State reaffirms commitment to save Northern White Rhinos through IVF

The government reaffirmed its commitment to saving the endangered northern white rhinos from extinction during World Rhino Day celebrations on Sunday at Sereolipi Primary School in Samburu County.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, in her address, highlighted the progress being made through a joint effort between Kenyan scientists and their global counterparts to rescue the species using in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Speaking to the local community, conservation groups, experts, and officials from both the county and national governments, Miano expressed optimism about the initiative, led by the Wildlife Research and Training Institute.

The project aims to produce northern white rhino embryos from preserved genetic material and implant them in southern white rhino females, with the hope of eventually producing northern white calves.

“Success in this venture will yield hope to the conservation fraternity and put Kenya at the forecourt of wildlife guardianship globally," she said.

Tourism CS Rebecca Miano inspects a guard of honour at the World Rhino Day celebration held at Sereolipi Primary School in Samburu County on Sunday, September 22, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein)

She further expressed concern about threats posed by poachers that forced the government to step up its efforts to adopt novel technologies such as the use of drones and forensic evidence.

The government, according to the CS, allocated resources and recruited additional enforcement officers to safeguard the remaining rhino population and other wildlife for posterity.

Miano said Kenya was currently ranked third after South Africa and Namibia, adding that the population was expected to exceed the 2022 numbers that stand at 966 black rhinos and 2 northern white rhinos once the ongoing national wildlife census is concluded.

“On a global scale, Kenya is an important habitat for rhinos, hosting 80 per cent of the eastern black rhino subspecies distributed across eight national parks," she noted.

The Maasai Mara Game Reserve, the Sera Community Conservancy, and five private sanctuaries within the Laikipia region serve as homes for the highest population of rhinos in Kenya.

The cabinet secretary urged the local communities to take an active role in the protection of endangered wildlife species.

Samburu governor Lati Lelelit, Principal Secretary State Department of Wildlife Silvia Museiyia, and Director of Wildlife and Community Services Prof. Charles Musyoki, among other officials, graced the occasion.

Locals attend the World Rhino Day celebration held at Sereolipi primary School in Samburu County on Sunday, September 22, 2024. (Photo: Issa Hussein)