The Last Rhinos

May 7, 2012
Head of conservation at the Thula Thula game reserve in Zululand, South Africa, Anthony (The Elephant Whisperer) recounts his role in the northern white rhino’s perilous struggle against extinction: “Unless something fundamental changes, and quickly, every last one in the wild will eventually be killed.” These rhinos, one of the world’s largest creatures, are being “brutally slaughtered for a horn”—which is “little more than keratin”—used in traditional Asian healing. “It is difficult to remain calm,” he says, when these rhinos do not get protection against savage poaching. Anthony doesn’t shy away from danger, even when his journey to save the rhinos unexpectedly entwines him in the midst of Ugandan political warfare. He meets with the Lord’s Resistance Army, rebel war criminals hiding in the Congolese jungle, to persuade them to protect these animals. Riddled with heartfelt anecdotes, Anthony’s brave crusade to save these mammals—even at great risk to his own safety—reads like a safari adventure, a history lesson, and a warning that our careless ways will bring an end to so many magnificent species. Photos.