Iman, Malaysia's last Sumatran rhino ready to undergo IVF treatment

Mohd Izham Unnip Abdullah New Straits Times 20 Aug 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia's last female Sumatran rhinoceros has regained her health after receiving treatment for uterine tumour last year.

Iman who resides at the Borneo Rhinoceros Sanctuary (BRS) in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu is the last of her kind in this country after her partner Kertam died of old age and internal organ failure on May 27.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said although she was still receiving follow-up treatment to prevent the tumour from becoming worse, Iman is now back to her normal self and her appetite has completely improved.

He said the rhinoceros is also prepared to undergo in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment with the sperm of a male Sumatran rhinoceros via a collaboration with Indonesia.

They were now waiting for help from an expert in Germany.

However, taking into consideration the tumour that plagued Iman, she could no longer get pregnant despite still producing eggs.

In a bid to save the Sumatran rhinoceros species in this country, the IVF treatment, with the use of sperm from a male Sumatran rhinoceros from Indonesia, will have to go through a surrogate female rhinoceros, also from Indonesia.

Augustine explained that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) would have to be signed with Indonesia before the process is carried out so that there will be no issue on which country hold's rights on the baby rhinoceros.

Iman is 23-years-old and was captured in Lembah Danum, Lahad Datu in 2014 before she was moved to the Lahad Datu Wildlife Reserve and subsequently to the BRS upon the sancuary's completion last year.

The sanctuary is handled by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) called the Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) on behalf of the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Iman was found to have uterine tumour which led to severe bleeding of her uterus last year. Continuous treatment however managed to save her.

Two days ago, Sabah deputy chief minister Datuk Christina Liew visited BRS to see Iman, and find out if she was ready to undergo the IVF treatment.

Earlier this month, Liew led a delegation of state representatives and the Sabah Wildlife Department to Indonesia to discuss about conservation efforts for the Sumatran rhinoceros.

Liew previously said, the MoU was scheduled to be signed in Indonesia next month.

Bid to ensure Sumatran rhino survives
The Star 20 Aug 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Both Malaysia and Indonesia are taking what may be the first step in saving the Sumatran rhino from extinction with the arrival of an expert from Germany next month to help extract eggs from Iman, the sole surviving female animal in Sabah.

Wildlife reproduction expert, Professor Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin, has developed a technology that allows for the collection of eggs from the ovaries of rhinoceroses.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said this was part of the artificial breeding programme that had been agreed upon for collaboration with the Indonesian government.

Hildebrandt, who is expected to conduct the procedure at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary (BRS) in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Lahad Datu, where Iman is currently housed, is also involved in the work to save the virtually extinct northern white rhino in Africa.

On Sunday, Liew had visited Iman to see the 23-year-old rhino’s condition to see if the animal is medically fit for in vitro fertilisation (IVF). IVF is a medical procedure whereby an egg is fertilised by a sperm inside a test tube or elsewhere outside the body, after which the resulting embryo is implanted in the womb of a surrogate mother, in this case, a surrogate rhino mother.“I am happy to see Iman having a good appetite and eating well. She is recovering after going through an intensive regimen of medical treatment and feeding.

“Although she cannot bear any offspring, she is still producing eggs so there is hope for IVF.

Iman’s eggs will be harvested to be fertilised in a specialist lab in Indonesia.

“The Indonesian Rhino Foundation, on the other hand, will assist in getting the sperm needed,” she said in a statement here yesterday. On Aug 9, the governments of Indonesia and Sabah-Malaysia had agreed in principle to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Conservation of the Sumatran Rhinoceros in Indonesia next month.

Iman, who was captured in Danum Valley in 2014, was translocated to the reserve and kept at BRS.

Borneo Rhino Alliance (Bora), a non-governmental organisation based in Sabah, operates the sanctuary for the Sabah Wildlife Department.

In his briefing to Liew, Bora executive director Datuk Dr John Payne said Iman, which now weighs 530kg, was treated for the growth of non-malignant tumours in its uterus. “Last December, Iman suffered a ruptured tumour in its uterus, leading to massive bleeding.

“As a result, we had to postpone the IVF procedure then,” he added.