We are sad to report that the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment conducted on the egg has failed.
According to New Straits Times, the egg cell, harvested by scientists to save the species, had failed to divide after fertilisation and no embryo was formed.
Before this, it was reported that the egg cell, known as oocyte, was harvested by Professor Thomas Hildebrandt and his team of experts from the Leibniz Institute of Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, Germany.
The oocyte was then taken to the Reproductive Innovation Center for Wildlife and Livestock at Faculty of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in Sandakan for the IVF treatment.
Professor Arief Boediono, from Universiti Pertanian Bogor, Indonesia who conducted the IVF said the quality of the sperm used was low.
He said to continue the IVF treatment effort, they need to try and get sperm from rhinos in captivity in Indonesia.
"For now, Iman is relatively healthy, and though she has a tumour in her uterus, she is still producing oocytes, or eggs," he said.
Well, let’s hope that the upcoming IVF attempts are successful.