Colossal Biosciences Saving the Northern White Rhino From the Brink of Extinction

Najin and Fatu are two northern white rhinos famous for all the wrong reasons. Living under 24-hour armed surveillance, the two females are the last of their subspecies, the rarest large mammals in the world, representing a creature that was once integral to the Central African savannas before being decimated by poaching, habitat destruction, and local armed conflict.

With both Najin and Fatu unable to carry a baby to term, many see the northern white rhino as doomed for extinction — but can the species be saved by technological innovation? BioRescue, a consortium funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research partnering with genetic upstarts Colossal Biosciences, hopes to do just that. 

Since its founding in 2019, BioRescue has been dedicated to using advanced reproductive technologies to save the northern white rhino species. The consortium’s recent partnership with Colossal Biosciences — a biotechnology and genetic engineering startup focused on de-extinction and endangered species conservation — represents a significant step toward rejuvenating the species. Colossal is bringing its highly advanced, $225 million de-extinction toolkit to the project and will aid in beneficial processes such as genomic sequencing and editing. 

“We’re very honored to Rescue’s genetic rescue partner and thus have the opportunity to help save the northern white rhino, as well as other iconic keystone species, from the brink of extinction,” said Colossal Biosciences’ CEO Ben Lamm in a recent press release. “At Colossal we’re passionate about species preservation and as part of our larger de-extinction work, we want to leverage our techniques and toolkit for conservation. We are creating tools that will allow us to heal what has been lost and restore ecosystems that will be sustainable for future generations.”

Najin and Fatu: The Remnants of the Northern White Rhino

Rhinos, long hounded for their horns and by big game recreational hunters, have historically been among the most poached animals in the world. Today, there are only five rhino species in the world, all of which are classified as endangered, with three species (the Javan, Sumatran, and black rhino) classified as critically endangered. 

While the Javan rhino — with around 75 individuals remaining — is classified as the most endangered species in the world by the World Wildlife Fund, the northern white rhino — a subspecies of the white rhino — is considered the world’s most endangered animal.

As with all members of the rhinoceros family, the northern white rhino has been devastated by habitat loss and poaching. However, unlike other rhino species and subspecies, the northern white rhino’s native range from the Congo to Sudan and Uganda was embroiled in civil wars for much of the late 20th century, rendering conservation efforts in the area incredibly dangerous and largely infeasible. 

In the 1960s, before much of its habitat became battered by war, the northern white rhino was even more abundant than its southern white counterpart, with the central African savanna home to over 2,000 individuals of the subspecies. Unfortunately, by the 1970s, the northern white rhino population had been decimated by intense poaching and continuous conflict and was reduced to just 700 individuals.

In an effort to save the fast-dying subspecies, in the mid-1970s the Dvůr Králové zoo in the Czech Republic translocated six northern white rhinos (two males and four females) from the wild and started an advanced breeding program. 

While this program resulted in the birth of several calves, including Suni, Najin, and Fatu in 1980, 1989, and 2000 respectively, Fatu’s birth in 2000 marked the last calf born in captivity. By 2008, the subspecies had seemingly died out in the wild. 

With just six members of the subspecies remaining by 2009, the Dvůr Králové zoo decided to transfer four northern white rhinos, including Suni, Fatu, Najin, and Najin’s father, Sudan, to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, a native habitat where the International Union for Conservation of Nature African Rhino Specialist Group determined they’d have the highest chance of breeding.

While efforts were continuously made for the subspecies to mate with one another and produce offspring with a southern white rhino, all attempts were unsuccessful. By 2016, only three northern white rhinos remained in the world. Tragically, Najin and Fatu, now the world’s only remaining females, were found incapable of natural reproduction.

BioRescue to the Rescue

Following the decision to euthanize Sudan — the last male northern white rhino — due to old age and a series of infections in 2018, all hopes of the northern white rhino naturally reproducing faded. 

In 2019, the BioRescue consortium was founded to use assisted breeding technology such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy to revitalize the northern white rhino population. BioRescue is led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo in Germany and is a collaboration between several innovative institutions throughout Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Czech Republic, including the Dvůr Králové zoo, Osaka University, and the University of Padua.

In the four years since its founding, BioRescue has conducted 10 separate immature egg collections on Fatu (the younger of the two northern white rhinos) resulting in the creation of 29 viable embryos sired using sperm preserved from now-deceased males.

BioRescue has identified two female southern white rhinos as surrogates for the embryos and hopes to produce a healthy northern white rhino calf by 2025. However, to ensure the survival of any future herd, the consortium must first address the northern white rhino’s genetic issues.

The Colossal Benefits of Gene Editing

BioRescue has enlisted the help of Colossal Biosciences to solve the lack of genetic diversity that northern white rhinos possess due to decades of low populations and captive breeding. Well known for their work in the genomic sequencing of the woolly mammoth and Asian and African elephants, Colossal plans to sequence the preserved samples of northern white rhino bones, dry skin, organs, and fetuses to uncover lost genes that could improve the genetic diversity and fitness of modern calves.

Colossal Biosciences will also conduct a population study of the southern white rhino under their technology spinoff company FormBio. This study aims to identify the genetic aspects of southern white rhinos that aid in the species’ health and survival. FormBio will leverage its comparative genomic tool for this study to compare the DNA and genomes of both white rhino subspecies and determine genes missing in the northern white rhino that are vital to its southern counterpart.

Upon uncovering advantageous genes, Colossal plans to use the same gene editing technology they’re using on the woolly mammoth to reintroduce these genes into the cell lines used in the northern white rhino’s embryo production. This would reduce a future northern white rhino herd’s susceptibility to certain diseases and health issues.

As Jan Stejskal, director of international projects at Dvůr Králové, described it, “This new partnership with Colossal transforms existing conservation approaches to a new level and can serve as a blueprint for other international efforts to save endangered species”.

Northern white rhino conservation has been ongoing for over half a century, but Colossal Biosciences is bringing new life to a project many considered doomed. While Colossal’s work has only just begun, this collaboration is already laying the foundation for a new wave of conservation grounded in technological innovation.

About Post Author

Roy Reyna

Roy Reyna is a congressional reporter for Pluralist. He covers the U.S. Congress and its members, focusing on the House of Representatives. Prior to joining Pluralist, he worked as a reporter for National Journal and The Hill, covering Congress and politics. Reyna has a background in political science and has written extensively on the inner workings of Congress, as well as the political and policy issues that drive it. He is based in Washington, D.C.

See author's posts