The last 12 months has seen the northern white rhino’s population cut in half. What was seven is now four. FOUR. Their conservation status is endangered, obviously, but that doesn’t cut it has a description that accurately describes the species on-the-door-of-extinction situation.

But according to the Los Angeles Times there is hope. At the Ol Pejeta Sanctuary in Kenya, officials have hatched what they’re calling “an ambitious, scientifically-complex plan” to keep the northern white rhino alive and kicking.

Unlike Trump, they break their plan down for the rest of the world:

There are three female northern white rhinos left: two in the Kenyan sanctuary, and a geriatric named Nola at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. There is also something called the Frozen Zoo at the Institute for Conservation Research, and they’ve got northern white rhino DNA on file. That’s not a whole lot of representation for a whole entire species, but officials do have some options. They can attempt in-vitro fertilization in Africa, or they can use the DNA sample to create a “stem cell line,” which could then be used to create an embryo. One way or another, there are going to be some northern white rhino embryos, because science.

However, mother nature will of course present her own challenges. First off, no one knows how to extract eggs from a living northern white rhino. Also, the geriatric, Nola, is 41 and might not be around to see her species add a member to their already limited numbers. And, by the time this is all figured out, none of the rhinos might be alive.

But, it is doable. So let’s hold thumbs for the rhinos.

[source: gawker]