When the last male Northern White Rhinoceros, 45-year-old Sudan, died in March it looked like the end of the sub-species was nigh.

With only two females alive, and no breeding partners left, the rhino was functionally extinct, and just a few years away from dying out entirely.

But in a world first, scientists have created a test-tube rhino embryo from the frozen sperm of a Northern White male and the egg from a Southern White female.

Now they know that IVF is possible for rhinos, they plan to take eggs from the last surviving Northern White females and artificially inseminate them with the frozen sperm before implanting them into Southern White Rhino females to act as a surrogate.