Caretaker of northern white rhino hopeful that nearly extinct sub-species can be saved

(22 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nanyuki, Kenya - 22 September 2024
1. Various drone shots of two female Northern White Rhinos and a Southern white rhino heading to a water trough
2. Various drone shots of rhinos drinking water
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Zacharia Mutai, Rhino Caretaker:
"Today is World Rhino Day and I still have great hope that we can save the northern white rhinos. The way I can assure you is that last year we got to conduct an experiment on a southern white rhino embryo and it was successful. So that gave us more hope that we can still bring the northern white rhinos back from extinction."
4. Tourists vans parking next to the white rhinos as Mutai calls rhinos to feed
5. Southern White Rhino named Tawo walking towards Mutai as he pours carrots on the ground
6. Rhino eating
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Zacharia Mutai, Rhino Caretaker:
"Actually all species on this ecosystem play their own role, so if one species is missing the ecosystem is no longer balanced anymore. But I am hoping that we can still not lose them as there is a lot of conservation efforts being undertaken everywhere and we still have hope that we can make a change."
8. A cattle egret bird next to the rhinos
9. A rhino caretaker named David Limo walking towards a sleeping northern white rhino named Najin
10. Various of Tawo standing next to the northern white rhino named Fatu
11. SOUNDBITE (Kiswahili) David Limo, Rhino Caretaker:
"I wake up every morning to take care of these animals, I look after them like my own family. The sub-species only exists here and I am very happy to see them everyday. I ensure they get water and food and I am very proud of my work, I love it."
12. Close up of Najin
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Zacharia Mutai, Rhino Caretaker:
"I just want to let everyone know that the rhino's horn does not contain any medicinal value as many people believe they are used for (extracting) medicine. Rhino horns are just keratin, same material as our finger nails and it doesn't cure anyone."
14. Drone shot of rhino enclosure ++MUTE++
STORYLINE:
At Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Nanyuki, the last two northern white rhinos - both females - are secured in an enclosure. The northern white rhino, is technically extinct, but the caretakers at the sanctuary are hopeful of a renaissance of the sub-species.
A trial is ongoing to develop embryos in the lab from an egg and sperm previously collected from white rhinos and transferring it into a surrogate female black rhino.
Zacharia Mutai has been a ranger for 21 years and was the primary caretaker of the last male Northern White Rhino named Sudan.
He is happy on this global day set aside to celebrate the horny beasts.
"I still have great hope we can save the northern white rhinos. The way I can assure you is that last year we got to conduct an experiment of a southern white rhino embryo and it was successful. So that gave us more hope that we can still bring the northern white rhino back from extinction," he said.
"I wake up every morning to take care of these animals, I look after them like my own family. The sub-species only exists here and I am very happy to see them everyday", Zacharia Mutai, another care taker said. "I am very proud of my work, I love it".
A total of 586 rhinos were killed in Africa in 2023, most of them in South Africa - which has the highest population of rhinos at an estimated 16,056. The killings increased from 551 reported in 2022, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
AP Video by Desmond Tiro and Jackson Njehia
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