Kenyan vets perform world's first corrective surgery for atresia ani on white rhino calf

Bahati, born at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, had a fatal congenital condition that left the calf without a rectal opening. The two-hour procedure, conducted at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, involved creating a functional rectal opening. The operating team included Dr. Mukami Ruoro Oundo and Dr. Mathew Mutinda Ndunda from KWS, Dr. Robert Aruho from Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy, Dr. Joseph Mbuthia from Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and Dr. Benjamin Oundo from Northern Kenya Veterinary Services.

Following the surgery, Bahati was successfully revived and passed stool for the first time, confirming the procedure's success. KWS highlighted this as a landmark achievement in wildlife veterinary medicine and conservation collaboration, emphasizing the importance of such efforts for the conservation of white rhinoceroses, a conservation-dependent species.