My name is Ali, I'm 18 years old and dream of persuing a career in wildlife conservation, last year I volunteered at Ol Pejeta conservancy in Nanyuki, Kenya, home to the last two remaining Northern White Rhinos on this planet: Najin and her daughter Fatu, both of which are females. Sudan, the last living male, sadly passed away from natural causes in march of 2018 and to make matters worst, both females are unable to carry, one is infertile and the other struggles with injury acquired from standing on concrete zoo floors for years. These limiting factors made the chance of success next to nothing.
But despite these obstacles, conservationists have come up with a never seen before solution with hopes to save the species. The plan is for a third, Southern White Rhino to be a surrogate mother to the baby Northern White via artificial insemination. Sperm had been preserved from the two last males, Sudan and Suni and last year, eggs were harvested from Najin and Fatu. Against all odds, in September of 2019, conservationists managed to succesfully mature and fertilize 2 embryos in a laboratory, ready for the surrogate mother.
Unfortunately the project is extremely costly and in addition to this the conservancy must pay all other costs related to the Rhinos such as food, employee salaries and security, which on its own can cost up to $10,000 annually. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, tourism at Ol Pejeta, their primary financial backbone, dropped to an all time low, causing the Northern White Rhino project to face a huge financial obstacle.
I, as a Mauritian but also as someone who is passionate about wildlife, am calling upon the help of our people. Any donation, whether small or big will help us achieve our goal. When no one else is there to help, we must stand together with Kenya as fellow countries in order to help preserve the majestic wildlife that walks these lands. We together can help save this species. Please be part of this effort by donating.
