Review: National Geographic's "The Last Rhinos: A New Hope" Provides a Heartbreaking, Yet Hopeful Look at the Efforts to Save Northern White Rhinos

As Northern White Rhinos face extinction, National Geographic is ready to invite viewers into humanity's struggle to protect the species in The Last Rhinos: A New Hope.

In the early 1900s, Northern white rhinoceroses became the target of poachers, reducing their global wild population to just 15 by the 1980s. Tragically, their endangerment has far from stopped those interested in harvesting their horns, which are more valuable than gold. Recently, the last male white rhino passed away, with scientists racing the clock to keep the species from meeting an untimely end.

In National Geographic’s The Last Rhinos: A New Hope, viewers are invited into the high-stakes journey of saving the northern white rhino. With just two female white rhinos left, scientists and wildlife specialists embark on a time-sensative journey to perform the first in vitro fertilization on the northern white rhinos. Spearheaded by photographer Ami Vitale as she follows the team of scientists, the high-stakes fight for survival involves risky medical procedures, like extracting an egg from one of the rhinos, studying mating patterns of other rhinos to time planting the embryo, and a heck-of-a-lot of hope.

Successfully implanting the fertilized egg inside a surrogate southern white rhino, things seemed to be looking up until tragedy struck. Two southern white rhinos were infected by a toxin, killing the surrogate. During the autopsy, a viable male embryo provided proof that hope was not lost for the northern white rhino.

Finishing off the approximately 45 minute documentary, another embryo was successfully implanted into a new surrogate, providing an optimistic look for the future of northern white rhinos.

Having the chance to check out The Last Rhinos: A New Hope, I found myself both horrified and in awe of humanity’s capabilities. There is something dystopian about playing God, both from the perspective of poaching and the scientific efforts required to protect northern white rhinos from extinction. But, wow, was it an informative look at the impact humans have on wildlife. What I appreciated most about The Last Rhinos was its commitment to providing audiences with that same sense of urgency that these scientists face daily as they fight to save the species. With upclose looks at the current condition of both the northern and southern white rhinos, The Last Rhinos is equally heartbreaking as it is informative. There is no sugar coating, both in information and visuals, so some of the younger animal fans out there may want to skip this until they are a bit older. I highly recommend checking out The Last Rhinos: A New Hope, even if just for a wake up call to the responsibilities we have to protect our planet and those that inhabit it.

The Last Rhinos: A New Hope is set to hit National Geographic on August 24th at 8/7c and Disney+ and Hulu the next day.

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