I saw this on the Fascinating Pictures Twitter feed:

Bodyguards protecting one of the last six remaining Northern White Rhinos on earth. pic.twitter.com/IZ1Vi4Y626

— Fascinating Pictures (@Fascinatingpics) November 11, 2014

There really are only six northern white rhinos left, after a 34 year-old male died on October 17, 2014. He was one of only two surviving males, meaning the species has very grim prospects for survival (and yes, I’m trying to avoid sounding defeatist.) Only four of them are actually in Africa, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The other two are at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California. I saw one of them back in 2011:

The northern white rhinos in Kenya have been under 24-hour armed guard for a while, as reported by the Telegraph back in 2012. Even with the guards, though, poachers have continued to pick the rhinos off: Continue reading →