Link: https://pdnpulse.pdnonline.com/2020/01/ami-vitale-top-photo-decade.html

“Save The Animals!” We hear this message all the time, whether it’s an Instagram post or an on-campus club. Whenever I hear about this issue, I always bury it in the back of my mind. I feel like I’m way too busy to do anything about it. Also, there are more important problems to solve, right? Journalists from the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya released this photo in 2009. This photo photographs the final moments of the last Northern White Rhino on the planet. The picture is filled with subliminal messages, and it was released for a purpose. This photo begs the audience to shift their focuses to preventing global animal extinctions.

It’s important to note the bracelets in the photo. Everyone comforting the rhino in its final moment is wearing a specific type of bracelet. Odds are these people all work at the conservatory. I believe they all wore these similar bracelets to prove a point. The bracelets are all similar, signifying unity among the helpers. This could mean “only local people see how bad the issue is” or “we need to unite together to prevent this from happening”. Either way, the bracelets were designed to send a message.

Another detail I noticed was the camera’s focus. The Camera is focused on the rhino’s head, showing him suffering and dying. The rhino takes up the majority of the picture; his eyes are closed symbolizing his near end. The emphasis on the rhinos closed eye is important. I think it could symbolize the world in the sense that we don’t see (or choose not to see) issues like animal extinction.

In addition to the bracelets, two of the arms are wearing watches. Both of the watches don’t show a time (maybe due to camera angle). I think the blank watches are metaphors for how we are “out of time” to help the Northern White Rhino. The rhino in the photo is the last on earth so we are too late.

This powerful photo invokes sadness in the audience. The photo is meant to show failure; we are too late. The conservatory’s mission is done but they don’t want us the give up on other animals. This photo wasn’t posted as a “we give up” post but rather a “we have to try harder” message. There are more animals around the world fighting against extinction (whether it’s human-related or not). We need to step up our game before its too late for other animals.