For the love of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino

Animals frequently become famous, but few have captured hearts and minds like Sudan, the last male northern white rhinoceros. He sadly passed away in March 2018, but his legacy lives on in so many ways. Not least in how he continues to inspire conservationists all over the world.

Sudan’s life began in the wild, but he was taken to Dvůr Králové Zoo in Czechia in 1975, when he was two years old, along with another male and four females. At the time, their capture was considered controversial, but, paradoxically, it was only captivity which kept him alive long enough to become a symbol of hope.

You see, rhino poaching has reached catastrophic levels and shows no sign of abating. Why? The answer is simple: money. The illegal trade in rhino horn is a lucrative business for poachers, with some reporting a market value estimate at around €60,000 per kilo. To put that into context, rhino horn is more valuable than gold or diamonds. As a result, populations are shrinking at an alarming rate and all rhino species are under threat.

This is why, in 2009, Sudan was airlifted back to Africa. Not to his birthplace, but to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, at the foot of Mount Kenya, where he and the only other three northern white female rhinos in existence were encouraged to breed. They were under 24-hour armed protection because scarcity, of course, increases value.

And while Sudan was in Ol Pejeta’s care, under the watchful eye of head caregiver, Zacharia Mutai, he received plenty of visitors. Many of whom helped his legend to grow – as the last male northern white rhino in the world.

In the complicated Venn diagram of Sudan, many of his admirers and supporters cross paths. But in recent months his story has been told in a new way through our World Unseen exhibitions, both online and touring across Europe. Canon Ambassador Brent Stirton’s image of Sudan, Rhino Wars, has been brought to life for the blind and visually impaired through tactile elevated print, braille descriptions, artist-narration and audio landscapes.

And as the exhibition came to Sweden, it announced its arrival at a fundraising gala dinner held by The Perfect World Foundation, an organisation which was established by Ragnhild Jacobsson to support wildlife and nature in crisis. She too was inspired by a meeting with Sudan back in 2013 and since then, the rhino has been a central symbol of her charity. So, it made perfect sense for the team at Canon Sweden to support the fundraising efforts of The Perfect World Foundation by gifting a print of Rhino Wars to auction at the event – with the proceeds going directly to Sudan’s final home at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

“Sudan was a symbol, which was why The Perfect World Foundation supported Ol Pejeta by providing new fencing for Sudan and his family in the northern white rhino enclosures,” explains Ragnhild. “But we want all rhinos, to be safe.”

Seeing their vulnerability first hand at Ol Pejeta, then at another project called Solio, and again in Zimbabwe (“where all the rhinos had been poached”), there was no question for Ragnhild that rhinos epitomise the urgent threat of animal extinction. So, each year, at the foundation gala, when they award the title of ‘Conservationist of the Year’ to a figure who has increased global awareness of environmental issues, the recipient is presented with ‘The Fragile Rhino’. Inspired by Sudan, it is a unique blown glass statuette, handcrafted by famous Swedish glassmakers, Kosta Boda.

Two proud owners of a Fragile Rhino are Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall, but it is telling to note that in photographs, even when it is in the hands of an internationally famous figure, the gaze is immediately drawn to this beautiful transparent sculpture. Holding the delicate glass, one can feel the striking contrast to the strength of the animal, and it is the perfect metaphor for the rhino’s precarious place in a dangerous world. Indeed, it’s easy to see the parallels with World Unseen, when Brent Stirton presented the tactile print of Rhino Wars to blind conservationist Lawrence Gunther. He too felt the power and tragedy of Sudan under his fingertips. And it reduced him to tears. “I never thought there’d be a day when a photograph could make me feel this way.”

Sudan’s legacy is still a work in progress and his death has only brought about greater determination to save the species. Embryos from two remaining northern white rhinos – Sudan’s daughter and granddaughter – are currently undergoing IVF using genetic material harvested from males before they died. So, perhaps he will not always be the last northern male white rhino. But he will always be a symbol of how much we have to lose.

Visit the World Unseen website to explore all the images, listen to their rich audio descriptions and learn about the technology used to produce them.