An Ethical Assessment Tool (ETHAS) to Evaluate the Application of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Mammals’ Conservation: The Case of the Northern White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni)

Abstract

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) can make a difference in biodiversity conservation. Their application, however, can create risks and raise ethical issues that need addressing. Unfortunately, there is a lack of attention to the topic in the scientific literature and, to our knowledge, there is no tool for the ethical assessment of ARTs in the context of conservation that has been described. This paper reports the first applications of the Ethical Assessment Tool (ETHAS) to trans-rectal ovum pick-up (OPU) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures used in a northern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) conservation project. The ETHAS consists of two checklists, the Ethical Evaluation Sheet and the Ethical Risk Assessment, and is specifically customized for each ART procedure. It provides an integrated, multilevel and standardized self-assessment of the procedure under scrutiny, generating an ethical acceptability ranking (totally, partially, not acceptable) and a risk rank (low, medium, high), and, hence, allows for implementing measures to address or manage issues beforehand. The application of the ETHAS to the procedures performed on the northern white rhinoceros was effective in ensuring a high standard of procedures, contributing to the acceptability and improved communication among the project’s partners. In turn, the tool itself was also refined through an iterative consultation process between experts and stakeholders.

In vitro fertilization program in white rhinoceros

“…The decision was based on a thorough ethical assessment, involving all relevant aspects and stakeholders. Alongside shifting the boundary of available conservation approaches, the authors implemented a holistic ethical framework for embedding each procedure into the larger context of individual welfare and preventing extinction ( de Mori et al 2021 , Biasetti et al 2022 ).…”

Ethical Analysis of the Application of Assisted Reproduction Technologies in Biodiversity Conservation and the Case of White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) Ovum Pick-Up Procedures

“…In order to check each application of the procedure, an ethical self-assessment through a dedicated tool, ETHAS ( 105 ), is practiced before each intervention.…”

Application of decision tools to ethical analysis in biodiversity conservation

“…Oocyte harvesting from Najin and her daughter Fatu began on August 22, 2019. Interventions are planned with a minimum of 3 months pause between them to provide the animals with a safe interval to recover (Biasetti et al., 2022; de Mori et al., 2021). When the decision‐making process was started after the fourth procedure, further OPU procedures on Najin were suspended.…”