Although the long-awaited effort to produce a baby Sumatran rhino via IVF has failed, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said they would continue requesting for support from Indonesia to save the species from extinction.
Earlier, New Straits Times reported that the fertilised cell degenerated within days after being injected with Tam’s thawed-out sperm. It is learnt that the egg cell had failed to divide after fertilisation and no embryo was formed. "We just have to keep trying and with improvement . For example, we want to secure sperm from young rhinos if possible. Hopefully it will be a success one day," he said.
Its body has since been preserved and currently put on display at the museum as part of the effort to educate the public about the last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia.