I recall all the inevitable and endless chills. Hairs raised across my neck, spreading down my forearms and whole body—a beautiful side effect from the unmistakable and humbling presence of a rhino.

I’ve felt it from a tourist’s lens and wildlife lover’s heart, sitting in a safari vehicle in awe of a black rhino, transporting us back in time with her prehistoric and miraculous existence. Chills in this instance were first induced by the realization of the beauty that was unfolding around me; people to my left and right appreciating the awe and wonder of this amazing species alive, in front of their eyes.
But soon, salty tears pooled in my bottom lids, precariously awaiting their chance to stream gently down my cheeks as my mind wandered to the brutal reality smacking me in the face. My chills amplified, this time from an intense realization. Rhino are going extinct because so many across this planet place more value on a rhino dead than alive, horns stolen for consumption in a devastating cycle on the black market.

I’ve also felt those beautifully stunning chills from just a few strides away. Chills first induced from the rhythmic sound of two white rhino breathing deeply in the South African summer heat. Standing so close I could hear the soft sounds of their wrinkles, shifting their weight in slight movements as the sun beat down through the leaves, casting shadows across their gentle faces.
But quickly, my chills turned to those not of joy from a moment shared, but again, chills of harsh and eerie realization.

In the intimacy of the moment, I realized just how frequently others with more insidious motives share this same proximity with rhino. In my shoes, on another day, in another moment in time, exists a poacher.
I suppose in these moments and many others I’ve come to realize that the beauty and awe nature gives us can’t be acknowledged alone, safe in a bubble to appreciate untainted from the realities.

We must look at the beauty, the magic, the happy moments of coexistence, juxtaposed with the destruction, devastation, and brutal realities human kind inflicts if we’re ever to find a solution.

A percentage of the proceeds from your purchase of this painting will go directly to funding rangers on the ground in Kruger National Park, South Africa.