This archive report was first published on 15 August 2019.
On October 24th, the Kenya premiere of Kifaru will take place at Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, starting at 6:00 PM. This film, produced by Ol Pejeta Conservancy, humanises wildlife extinction in Kenya, focusing on the challenges of rhino conservation.
Directed by David Hambridge, Kifaru brings to light the heartbreak and determination of two young rangers, James Mwenda and Joseph Wachira (Jojo), as they care for the last northern white rhino male, Sudan. Sudan was euthanized in March 2018 due to age-related issues, but not before inspiring hundreds of thousands to do more for rhino conservation, according to Richard Vigne, Ol Pejeta's Managing Director.
Unfortunately, Sudan's death leaves only two female northern white rhinos on the planet: his daughter Najin and her daughter Fatu, who remain at Ol Pejeta. The only hope for the preservation of this subspecies now lies in developing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) techniques using eggs from the two remaining females, stored northern white rhino semen from males, and surrogate southern white rhino females.
Director David Hambridge said the film mirrors a perspective from which the tragic plight of the world's most endangered species could be humanised, transcending cultural barriers to expose the mortifying truth of humans' atrocities on nature.
