The relationship between wildlife and humans is broken.
In the space of two centuries, we’ve gone from revering our natural world to abusing it on an unprecedented scale. Our societal need for “more” has overtaken our biological default to live in harmony the environment.
Few animals represent this better than the rhino. At the beginning of the 20th century, over 500,000 roamed across Africa and Asia. Now, due to an insane, misplaced belief that rhino horn has medicinal properties, there’s just 27,000 left on Earth.
As someone that’s spent their entire career photographing the natural world, I could wax lyrical about the injustices and horror I’ve witnessed. Some of the things I’ve seen — and photographed — makes my skin crawl just at the thought.
That said, in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with negatives, I’m determined to avoid adding to that stack of misery. Instead, it’s my mission to show the positives, to give hope that what’s broken CAN be fixed, that those missing CAN be returned, that equilibrium CAN be restored.
Over the years, I’ve met the most amazing human beings dedicating their lives to leaving this Earth a better, healthier, more welcoming place for wildlife. Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya is full of such people.
Here, white and black rhinos roam free with round-the-clock protection from highly trained anti-poaching units. Through storms, pandemics, and political turmoil, these brave men and women are patrolling 24/7 protecting the rhinos. As a result, there hasn’t been a poaching incident in years.
Their success has been so great that new conservancies are springing up around Ol Pejeta, with local landowners returning farmland back to the wild.
This image, to me, perfectly encapsulates the rhino’s — and that of many species — future. The sun pushing away the darkness, life and goodness prevailing. Where there’s light, there’s hope. Our “Glimmer of Hope”.
