2017 Wildlife Photo Contest

Species: Black Rhino | Location: Greater Makalali Private Reserve, South Africa

A wild black rhino stands his ground at the Greater Makalali Private Reserve in South Africa. His horn is valued at ~$80,000/kilo for its supposed medicinal value in China and Vietnam, while it is actually just a three kilogram lump of keratin, like our fingernails. Killing and dehorning a rhino takes only 10 minutes, after which the horn might be trucked into Mozambique, flown to Vietnam, passed on to an illegal dealer, and put up for sale in Hanoi, all within 48 hours of the rhino’s death. For his work, a poacher may see as little as $200, while crime syndicates take the rest. Since 2015, poaching rates have skyrocketed, threatening rhinos with extinction by 2026.

This photograph is one of the several thousand photographs taken on a Summer 2016 Stanford University BOSP Overseas Seminar to South Africa. We spent our time in private reserves and national parks in the northeastern part of South Africa, and I was one of seven photographers, working in partnership with one of seven writers to pursue a photojournalistic story on the human impact of poaching. I went on countless game drives (safaris!) and interviewed nature reserve owners, park rangers, and an ex-poacher, learning to adjust my approach to bring out their authentic feelings and expressions and reporting their unheard perspectives. Exploring on foot the villages that surround Kruger National Park helped me better understand the conditions that create and support poachers from these communities.