Table 5.

Factors for the ethical analysis of OPU procedures in white rhinoceros.

Category	Factors to be investigated	Description
1. Context of the procedure	• Goals of the project • Values conveyed by the goals • Feasibility	• The ultimate goal is to create a self-sustaining population of NWR to be reintroduced into the wild. This will be the ultimate criterion of success of the project. • Such a goal conveys several form of value:    - Historical, naturalistic and ecological value directly tied to saving the NWR from extinction and reintroducing it.    - Welfare value, for giving to the two remaining NWR the chance to exercise social behaviors currently not accessible.    - Economic value, tied to the opportunity for ecotourism.    - Transformative value for people, as encounter with NWR could lead to life-changing experiences.    - Eudaimonistic (aesthetic, scientific and reverential) value, as encounter with NWR could lead to significative experiences.    - Existential value, as people could still find valuable the existence of the NWR even without directly experiencing it. • It is not possible to establish with absolute certainty that the project is inevitably destined to succeed due to the limited access to biomaterial and the cutting-edge technology it requires. • The scientific and conservation values fulfilled by the refinement of protocols could still be realized even in case of failure of the project.
2. Role of the procedure in the project	• Value of the procedure for the project • Effectiveness	• Performing the OPU procedure is needed to collect the necessary oocytes for refining the ICSI and ET protocols, defining embryo quality standards, and creating NWR embryos. For this reasons, it is a key part of the project. • While gamete production from somatic cell associated-techniques can perform a crucial complementary role to the OPU procedure, techniques are still in the process of being adapted to rhinoceros. • The OPU procedure has shown to be rather effective, with 95 oocytes retrieved so far from a single NWR female, Fatu, in 7 interventions, and 13 embryos created via ICSI (see Table 3).
3. Value of the procedure beyond the project	• Scientific value • Conservation value • Animal welfare value • Social value	• Beyond its instrumental value for the project, the procedure conveys several other forms of value:    - Scientific and conservation values for cryopreserving biomaterial from an endangered taxon and refining new protocols that could be used for projects involving other taxa.    - Welfare value, as extra veterinary screening and care is provided to the animals involved.    - Social value, by fostering knowledge transfer and the development and strengthening of links between people, groups and institutions dedicated to conservation.
4. Risks and costs of the procedure	• Known risks, and their distribution • Costs of failure • Negative side-effects in case of success	• Some parts of the procedure (ovarian superstimulation, anesthesia, transrectal ovarian puncture) may lead to complications that could harm the animals involved. • Negative repercussions in case of complication could be: animal welfare impairment; economic damage to the owners; suffering to people who had established bonds with the animal; damage to the image for the project and for the entire conservation world.
5. Views on the procedure	• Public opinion's views on the procedure • Conservationists' views on the procedure	• Conservation ARTs may be accused of being a technofix, of creating a moral hazard, and of being hubristic.