On March 19,
the world’s last male northern white rhino died. His name was Sudan, and he was
beautiful.
I met him in
2015, on a trip to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where he would pass
away. I was there to help bring awareness to the plight of the northern white
rhino, and to help raise money to save them.
When I met
Sudan, I was in awe. I never could have imagined how beautiful he was. When I
went to meet Sudan, I had been afraid of him—being aware that wild animals are
unpredictable. But his presence was mighty and robust, yet tranquil. It seemed
as if he had developed a close friendship with one of the caretakers. It was as
if they could talk to each other. I felt so small and wondered how we are
contributing to the demise of this brilliant beast and not working harder to
save them.
When I heard
Sudan had died, I felt like humanity had failed. A feeling of hopelessness took
over, but despite that feeling, I am always willing to help in any way that I
can.
Sudan and
his kind will now only live in photos like this one. One can dream that it will
make even more people are becoming aware of how devastating and alarming the
extinction crisis is, but I fear it is still not enough. Hopefully 2019 will
bring us better news.
Comments
Post a Comment