Cincinnati Zoo achieves artificial insemination of Indian rhino

"I think it's a remarkable achievement, an incredibly important success," said Dr. Evan Blumer, a board member of the International Rhino Foundation.

"The next step is where it becomes really important. The first is to be successful, the second is to be reliable and repeatable," he added.

Nikki, the mother, is 15 and has a life expectancy well into her 40s, so if all goes well, she could produce several more offspring.

By the 20th century, the Indian rhino - native to northern India and southern Nepal - was nearly wiped out.

Experts say about 200 remained before tough preservation laws began to be strongly enforced.

Although their numbers have increased to about 2,500 but still in the wild, rhino poaching remains a serious problem.

Rhinos can be difficult to breed naturally, Blumer said, because they can be aggressive and fight rather than mate.

Semen was collected from Himal, a male Indian rhino at the Wilds, in November 2004 and was frozen.

In August 2006, in their fourth attempt, the Cincinnati Zoo team succeeded in inseminating Nikki. - DDNEWS India