“I’ve been so fortunate to have a front row seat to Victoria’s pregnancy and Edward’s birth and development,” says Jonnie Capiro, Wildlife Care Specialist at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. His birth is especially important because of the role it plays in the effort to save the northern white rhino from extinction. But Edward has another claim to fame: he is the first southern white rhino in North America born as a result of artificial insemination, a groundbreaking approach to conservation supported by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance and our partners in Africa and around the world. With his fuzzy ears, wrinkly knees and enormous feet, Edward the rhino had the adoration of millions before he was a week old in 2019. By combining groundbreaking science, brand new technology, and decades of world-class wildlife care expertise, we're developing innovative techniques for assisted reproduction. At the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, we're working with partners around the globe to save them before they disappear forever. Both are females, so they are unable to breed. Decades of rampant poaching have left just two on Earth. While all rhino species are threatened, the northern white rhino has suffered worst of all. Calves depend on their mothers for up to 4 years. ![]() Poaching mother rhinos is doubly devastating because their orphaned babies often die, too. Big and mighty as they seem, rhinos are poached for their iconic horns, threatening their ability to survive in the wild. Standing 6 feet tall, weighing up to 5,000 pounds, and thundering along at speeds up to 40 mph, it's no wonder a group of white rhinos is known as a “crash.” And yet these gentle giants of the savanna are content munching away on grasses, wallowing in a refreshing mud hole, and raising their young. ![]() IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (northern white rhino) Near Threatened (southern white rhino)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |