It's an unfortunate tale we've heard time and time again, populations of wildlife dwindling around the planet. One of these is the black rhino, now a critically endangered species mainly due to poaching for commercial demand of their horns.
These intelligent creatures with skin of armor have inhabited the planet for 60 million years; now the population is estimated at just over 5,000.
There's a dim light at the end of the tunnel, as conservation groups and local populations work together to preserve this solitary animal. It's likely these efforts give the black rhino its only hope for the future.
One of our favorite groups is Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. We visit Lewa each year and contribute to them during our Kenya photo tour. They recently embarked on a relocation program to reintroduce the black rhino back to a native Kenyan habitat, 25 years after the last individual was poached in the area. You can read Rhino Return to Samburu for full details of the project.