I dislike the sentiment in general, like you ("don't play god" holds no truck with us atheists), but in this case I think the article's skeptical view is not misplaced.

The root causes must be addressed, this is just a bandaid (if it works at all). Whatever put Northern Rhinos at risk will still exist. They don't breed easily, what will change for the new hybrids, if they live at all? And if these Rhino hybrids don't behave (mating-wise) like a Northern Rhino, then what exactly has been achieved, other than breeding a look-alike?

Plus there's a whiff of marketing/publicity for these businesses like Colossal that I'm not thrilled about. Their "direwolf resurrection" project seems to me an entirely marketing-driven effort (as well as misleading), as is their mammoth project.

I admit I like the idea of "resurrecting" extinct species Jurassic Park-style for the sake of coolness, but is it wise and is it where our efforts should be spent? Instead of these "spectacular" efforts shouldn't we focus on conservation of species which can still be saved, and in changing the conditions that put them at risk?

Nautilus' Christian dont-play-god bias shining through.