Horns of Africa, Kenya, 2017

Description

The southern white rhinoceros is one of the largest and heaviest land animals on Earth. Adults weigh in at between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds and stand 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Their heads alone can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. A prominent muscular hump supports their large head, which is adorned by two horns – the front one growing up to an impressive meter and a half.

Their name derives from the Afrikaans word “weit”, which means wide, in reference to the animal’s muzzle. The wide, square upper lip is adapted to feeding on grasses – white rhinos are the only grazers among the five rhino species. Southern white rhinos were thought to be extinct in the late 19th century, until a small population was discovered in South Africa in 1895.

Their comeback to some 20,000 individuals has been hailed as a major conservation success story, but the surge in poaching for their valuable horns has seen record numbers killed in recent years. White rhinos are especially susceptible to hunting because they are relatively unaggressive and semi-social – traits that also make them one of my favorite animals to spend time with. It is up to us, as a species, to determine where the true value of the horns that grace these majestic creatures lies.

Location: Kenya
Photograph Date: 2017
Medium: Chromogenic Print
Edition: 200
Available Sizes: 70cm, 100cm and 150cm

About the Photographer

Robin Moore

Robin Moore is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, author and conservationist. His photographs regularly appear on the pages of National Geographic Magazine, the Economist, Newsweek and Esquire.

Moore developed an interest in nature at a young age while out exploring his home country of Scotland. His interests grew as he began to travel abroad, instilling a desire to protect the places he visited and the creatures that live there.

Since earning his PhD in Biodiversity Conservation, Moore has been a powerful voice in the fight to protect animals and nature. Moore turned to photography in order to tell the stories of his explorations, educating a broader audience. “My passion for wildlife and wild places inspires my photography and motivates me to use my images in any way I can to advance their protection.”

In 2010, Moore’s photography and storytelling came together as he led the "Search for Lost Frogs" campaign. Moore created a "Top 10 Most Wanted" list, inspiring a journey across 21 countries, with 33 teams searching on five continents for the world’s rarest amphibians. This led Moore to release his first book in 2014, "In Search of Lost Frogs", a 70,000-word narrative wrapped around 400 images depicting the search for some of the most elusive creatures on earth. The "Search for Lost Frogs" campaign was wildly successful; within a year, scientists found 20 of the "lost" frogs--one of which had last been seen in 1874.

Moore’s tireless work capturing some of the rarest creatures on film, lead to the shot of two endangered rhinos on the cover of Newsweek Magazine, in the November issue of 2014. The article “Extinct.com— The Black Market Trade for Endangered Animals Flourishes on the Web” exposed how some of the rarest species on Earth are being killed off and traded on Facebook.

Recently, Moore has been working on a project to broaden these efforts to other taxonomic groups. As communications director with Global Wildlife Conservation, he is developing a platform to showcase stories of species both ‘lost and found’.

In between his travels and photography assignments, Moore hosts a podcast for National Geographic called "No Filter," where he interviews fellow award-winning photographers such as, Cory Richards, Joel Sartore and Jim Richardson about their craft.