Iconic Image - by Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale is an American photojournalist and documentary filmmaker, based in Montana. Vitale's photographs have been published in National Geographic, for which she is a contract photographer.

The photo depicts Joseph Wachira, a keeper at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, as he says goodbye to Sudan. Sudan is the last male northern white rhinoceros. Sudan died in 2018. Two females of the subspecies remain.

I am not one of those photographers who believe the best photos are ones that are technically perfect. To me, the best photos are ones that make me feel something e.g. happiness, sadness, some form of emotion. Dam the technical perfection!

When I saw this image for the first time, I felt a profound sense of sadness. It nearly bought me to tears. Humans are responsible for so many species facing extinction, and to be honest, I'm not proud to be a human when I look at this photo.

Ami says, "those final moments were quiet—the rain falling, a single goaway bird scolding, and the muffled sorrow of Sudan’s caretakers. These keepers spend more time protecting the northern white rhinos than they do with their own children. Watching a creature die—one who is the last of its kind—is something I hope never to experience again. It felt like watching our own demise."

To me, this is one of the most important photos of 2018.