The Last Horn is a series of images photographed by Conservation Filmmaker, Justin Sullivan, who has shot over 200 rhino de-hornings across the Greater Kruger during his career.In this collection, a black and white edit aptly paints a sombre scene. It captures moments that exist for only a second in time and records them forever as evidence of this ongoing fight for survival.The fight we fight on behalf of another species.

It is a relentless effort that requires challenging physical participation and emotional grit. As a long-term commitment, the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve (KPNR) repeatedly dehorns the rhinos in the reserve. 111 Rhinos that were dehorned for the first time in 2019 have since been dehorned again and will continue to be watched from both land and air to monitor the natural regrowth and carry out necessary follow-up operations.

There is no denying that this invasive approach to rhino conservation demands a huge financial investment, careful co-ordination, multidisciplinary expertise, time, teamwork, and stamina. As humans, we’ve made a call to use our advanced technology, our pharmacological resources, our textbook knowledge, and our training to enter a wild world and change the physical appearance of the second largest land animal on Earth. In one way, our human existence can be considered relatively insignificant in comparison to nature’s long history, but in another, we are effecting dramatic and permanent change.

Having the opportunity to take a step back and look at these images allows us to truly see the impact of our actions. Of our human attempt to save a species whose existence long precedes our own. To see our helicopters churn rotor blades above the trees in which birds nest; to see our 4WD trucks turn their tyres in the mud from soft seasonal rain; to see our steel manufactured darts land on leathery targets; and to see the wide eye of a rhino trying to make sense of it all before it is blindfolded to shield it from our human commotion.

It is jarring to comprehend the use of guns and chainsaws in a place that stands for peace and wilderness conservation. For the teams involved in this desperate attempt to prevent suffering and possible extinction of the rhino, the reality of it is all too clear. It is a necessary part of the job, and it is a job we are not all cut out to do. We commend the individuals involved in the dehorning of KPNR rhinos, and we thank the donors that make it possible to keep up our end of the bargain and do the work to keep our rhinos safe.