OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY, KENYA

The Last Northern White Rhinos

Justin Mott documents the last two northern white rhinos on Earth at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, where Najin and Fatu live under 24-hour armed guard.

Aerial view of two light-colored horses lying on a dry grassy field, with long shadows cast to the side.

A gray rhinoceros grazing in dry grass with a clear blue sky and a fence in the distance.

Ol Pejeta Image Copyright Justin Mott 2019

Fatu and Najin Images

Memorial plaque for Sudan, the last male northern white rhino (1973–2018), with a reflection of a man wearing a hat in the glass

Man standing with hands on hips beside a solitary tree on a flat plain, encircled by stacked stone cairns at sunset.

Two rhinoceroses walk through a sunlit grassland at sunset, with a fence line in the background.

Group of soldiers in camouflage uniforms standing with rifles, heads bowed in a dusty outdoor area near a vehicle and trees, military gear visible.

Silhouetted trio of soldiers with rifles standing on a hill at dusk against a blue gradient sky, horizon visible on the horizon edge.

Two park rangers in green uniforms walk along a muddy path with a white rhinoceros blocking the trail under a cloudy sky.

Najin, the elder of the two northern white rhinos, is looked after by one of the Kenya Wildlife Service Veterinary staff while undergoing anesthesia during the ovum pick up procedure on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.

Silhouette of a researcher looking into a microscope inside a dim shipping-container lab, backlit by bright exterior light.

Field veterinarians treat a large elephant on a blue tarp, using portable medical equipment while a crowd watches nearby.

Man wearing a hat and olive outfit stands on a wooden fence, looking down at a large rhinoceros in a grassy enclosure beneath him

A small propeller airplane on a tarmac with several men loading a gray cargo case and bags nearby.

Researchers in black BioRescue shirts handle a large white cooler, releasing thick dry-ice fog in a lab setting with people nearby.

Man in a green hat stands beside a large white rhinoceros grazing in a grassy field at sunset.

A person's hand resting on an elephant's wrinkled gray skin near its eye.

Close-up of dark-skinned hands holding a tiny sprout with two delicate roots.

The last two northern white rhinos on Earth

In 2018, Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, died at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia County, Kenya. His death left only two of his subspecies alive: Fatu and Najin, a mother and daughter.

They live inside a secured enclosure on Ol Pejeta, a 360-square-kilometre sanctuary known for its rhino conservation work. Poaching and habitat loss wiped out the rest. Their horns, wrongly believed to hold medicinal value, still drive demand in illegal markets across China, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Guarded around the clock

Fatu and Najin are watched 24 hours a day by armed rangers from the National Police Reservists. These are two of the most protected animals on the planet, and the danger is not abstract. In 2018 a confrontation between rangers and poachers at Ol Pejeta ended in a fatal shootout.

The caretakers live in a remote bush camp within sight of the rhinos, 20 days on and 6 days off, away from their own families, so these two are never left alone.

Part of the Kindred Guardians project

This story is one chapter of Kindred Guardians, my self-funded documentary series about the people who give their lives to animals in need. Every chapter follows one human-animal bond and the conservation fight behind it. All images and text from the series are donated to the organisations featured and licensed to media worldwide. The work is photographed with Leica cameras and lenses.

Wander Alone

The story also became a short film, Wander Alone, made with my friend Joey Bania. It follows Najin and Fatu as the last of their kind, a quiet meditation on what it means to lose a species for good. The 10-minute documentary is finished and screening privately while we look at festivals and distribution. If you can help, email me at justin@justinmott.com.

Donate to Helping Rhinos / Learn more about Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Featured in: The Washington Post, NBC, Leica Witness Campaign, Travel + Leisure, Feature Shoot, PetaPixel, Euronews, We Animals Media, My Modern Met, Fstoppers