About the Book
Meet Najin and Fatu—the last of the northern white rhinos—as well as the scientists, conservationists, and rangers who are fighting for the species’ survival.
The last two remaining northern white rhinos, an already functionally extinct species, are kept behind three electrical fences and protected by a squad of rangers at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Their names are Najin and Fatu. Both are descended from the last male northern white rhino, Sudan. Najin is his daughter, while Fatu is his granddaughter. Along with Sudan and another male named Suni, they were transferred to Kenya in 2009, in the hope that returning them to their natural habitat might help them regain their zest for life and reproduction. Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan.
With the deaths of Sudan and Suni, the northern white rhinos’ destiny is now in the hands of their Kenyan caretakers and a team of scientists at the BioRescue international consortium, which is developing and using several different techniques to resurrect the species, including assisted reproduction and stem cell technologies. The plan is to insert northern white rhino embryos into southern white rhino surrogate mothers as soon as possible. There is a real chance the first “new” northern white rhino baby will be born in late 2023.
Will science prevail, or is it too late? Journalists Boštjan Videmšek and Maja Prijatelj Videmšek explore this question by taking readers on a journey through the history of the northern white rhinos. They introduce the rangers, conservationists, and scientists fighting for the future of the northern white rhinos and dissect what led the species to the brink of extinction, from wars and climate change to poaching and the black market. The Last Two offers hope for the future of the environment and the fight to save the many species that call Earth home.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Waiting for a Color Postcard
Chapter One: The Rhinocide
Chapter Two: An Evening at the Rhino Cemetery
Chapter Three: Poaching: A Long Genocidal Chain
Chapter Four: God’s Particle in Human Hands
Chapter Five: Creating Life
Chapter Six: The Girls Speak Czech
Chapter Seven: What Can Be Sacrificed in the Name of Saving a Species
Chapter Eight: Resurrecting the Elephants in Samburu
Chapter Nine: The Front Line
Chapter Ten: Life after Life
Epilogue
Bibliography
Notes
Index
About the Authors
About the Author :
Boštjan Videmšek is a long-term war correspondent who has covered all major conflicts in the last 25 years including, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine. During the last five years, he has focused his work on the consequences of climate change. His work has been published by the New York Times, Der Spiegel, Stern, Boston Globe, CNN, BBC, National Geographic, Forbes, Vice, Sierra Magazine, Politico, and more. Videmšek is the author of eight books including Plan B: How Not to Lose Hope in the Times of Climate Crisis. Videmšek is also an author of two theatre plays and an ultra-marathon runner. He has been chosen as one of the European Young Leaders. He resides in Slovenia.
Maja Prijatelj Videmšek is a leading Slovenian environmental journalist, focusing on food, animal rights, waste management, renewable energy, and endangered species. She writes for the biggest Slovenian daily Delo. Her work has been published by many international media out-lets, including the Boston Globe, Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic China, Das Magazin, Haaretz, Hindu Times, and more. She resides in Slovenia.
Review :
Married journalists Boštjan and Maja Prijatelj Videmšek explore in this alarming yet optimistic outing conservationists’ efforts to save the last surviving northern white rhinos, Najin and her daughter Fatu, from extinction. Detailing the forces that have brought the species to the brink, the Videmšeks discuss how a series of wars in Burundi, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan led to increased raids on wildlife reserves by poachers, who sell horns on the underground market for use in aphrodisiacs and various “miracle cures.” The rhinos’ habitats have also been ravaged by droughts exacerbated by climate change, which the authors contend “now pose[s] a greater threat to the animals’ wellbeing than the poachers.” The Videmšeks explain that after the last male northern white rhino (Fatu’s father) died in 2018, scientists set about reviving the species through stem cell technology and are hoping to one day artificially grow an embryo and transplant it into a surrogate southern white rhino (neither Najin nor Fatu are able to give birth). The authors’ damning account of how human callousness has driven white rhinos to extinction is balanced by the hopeful exploration of how scientific innovation might yet rescue the animals. The result is a stirring look at one of the world’s most endangered creatures.
Through visits, observations, and interviews, the authors profile the last two living Northern White rhinos, Najin and her daughter Fatu, along with those working to save the species, including the armed rangers who patrol their conservancy in Kenya. There are no remaining living males, and BioRescue, an international consortium of scientists and conservationists, was tasked with finding a way to resurrect the species from final extinction. Especially captivating is an interview with the BioRescue ethicist regarding the decision to retire Najin from their reproductive efforts. Woven into the narrative is background on what has brought the species to this point, including poaching, civil wars, and climate change. Even if it is possible to extend the species, it is unknown if there will be environment left to sustain them or a living animal to raise them. The authors provide an intriguing introduction to the science, conservation efforts, finances, and politics that are required to attempt to save a species. Whether or not it will be successful remains to be seen, but what is learned along the way makes for a fascinating read.
Boštjan Videmšek and Maja Prijatelj Videmšek have written a majestic, stirring account of the last two Northern White Rhinos left in the world. The story of the ravages of humankind's toll on innocent creatures who have fallen prey to poachers, conflict, and climate change, The Last Two is also an inspiring tale of the best of which our species is capable. From the conservationists in Kenya who care for the mother and daughter rhinos, Najin and Fatu, to the scientists in Italy, Germany, and Japan who are racing against time and daunting odds to snatch the rhinos from extinction's terrible grasp. Written with urgency and empathy and illustrated with stirring photos by Matjaž Krivic, The Last Two is at once a chronicle of disaster and hope.
Videmsek and Prijatelj are two of the world's leading investigative journalists, with decades of experience in the field and numerous awards between them. They have often covered wars and conflict zones in the past, and this book combines their interest in the environment with their significant chops as war reporters. The Last Two is a hugely important book for anyone interested in the environment and saving endangered species from extinction, too often at the hands of humans. This is where the conflict zone meets ecology. Thankfully, though there is much darkness, this is ultimately a beautiful story of hope in saving one of the Earth's most magnificent creatures.
