Last month, National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale made a quick and anxious trip to Kenya to say goodbye to a beloved rhino. And maybe a whole species. Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhino on the planet, died at the age of 45 after efforts to breed him with female rhinos had failed. (There is talk of harvesting their eggs and trying other reproductive procedures.)
Vitale had followed the gentle, hulking Sudan over nine years and was with him, along with keepers at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, at the end. She snapped the photo above just moments before he died. 
Now Vitale is trying to raise money for Ol Pejeta so it can continue its mission of protecting and fighting for some of the world’s most vulnerable creatures. Each print is $225, with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Kenyan conservancy. “Anything we can all do to collectively protect what is left of this magnificent planet is so appreciated,” says Vitale.
To learn more and order a print, click here.
–Jeannie Ralston
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