Rhino Statue Installed At Astor Place

ASTOR PLACE, NY — A sculpture of three massive northern white rhinos was unveiled at Astor Place on Thursday, representing the last living animals of a species that humans have hunted to the brink of extinction.

The 17-foot bronze sculpture was put in place in the East Village to draw attention to the plight of the northern white rhino, whose extinction is imminent. The species is extinct in the wild, and just three northern white rhinos remain alive in captivity.

The species, which is the second largest land mammal after the elephant, has been hunted to near extinction by poachers eager for their valuable horns.

The installation in the East Village, which was officially unveiled on Thursday, was created by Australian artists Gillie and Marc Shattner. The wife-and-husband duo are world-renown artists who have installed artworks throughout the globe, and are especially dedicated to animal conservation efforts.

The Shattners said they wanted to highlight the plight of the northern white rhino, and to draw attention to the breed's impending extinction.

"The whole mission was to recreate the three rhinos," Marc Shattner said about the sculpture, which is titled "The Last Three." "We just wanted everyone to know their names so that when they do leave this world they won't be forgotten."

Gillie and Marc spent a week with the three remaining rhinos — Sudan, Najin and Fatu — in Kenya in March 2017 to prepare for the sculpture. The three rhinos are housed at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where they are under armed guard 24 hours a day. The rhinos can't breed because the male rhino is too old and the female rhinos are infertile.

The Shattners duo said they were able to spend time up close and personal with the rhinos, observing and touching the final three of their species to prepare for their lifelike sculpture.

"Basically this species is extinct, so we felt like this was the most important thing that we had to do right now," Gillie explained. "And we haven't, unfortunately, been able to save this species but we're hoping now that all the other species...that are critically endangered, maybe we can do something to stop the poaching."

The artists partnered with app developers at INDE to create an informative, augmented reality experience to accompany the statue. The app allows smartphone users to see a life-size, augmented reality version of one of the three last white rhinos. Using the app, you can watch a rhino walk around and meander among the tourists and pedestrians on Astor Place.

The augmented reality experience combined with the life-size sculptures have made Astor Place the only place where the public can see these massive animals walking around, Marc explained.

The Shattners hope that the app combined with the life-like sculptures will allow people to connect with the rhinos.

"We tried to simulate the skin so it feels similar to how the skin felt for us," Gillie said. "If you touch something and you get up close to it, you feel some sort of bond, so we're hoping that that's what everyone's going to do."

Gillie and Marc encourage viewers to write "goodbye messages" to the final three rhinos, and include them in a petition to governments asking for a greater commitment to end the illegal trade of rhino horns.

The statute is scheduled to stay in Astor Place through May, but could remain in place for longer.

Image credit: Ciara McCarthy / Patch