I have opted to include this photography in my portfolio selection for somewhat personal reasons. Unlike the majority of my other photos which are captured in the wild, animals kept in zoos or aquariums are not truly “wild” nature. However, for many people, they are often, problematically, the only tenuous connection made to nature at large. While we fret about caging birds and clipping wings, it is rare for us to truly look into the eyes of another animal and see so much of ourselves staring back at us. In some ways, I wanted this picture to highlight the humanity of all living things, but as I worked on it, I was reminded that we are all animals, all deserving of love, compassion, and respect.

Orangutans, such as those seen here, are a species of great ape native to Asia. Found only in the forests of Borneo and Sumatra (Malaysia and Indonesia), their populations are critically endangered. Threats to orangutans, like other non-human primates (gorillas, chimpanzees etc.), include climate change, poaching, and the illegal trade of exotic animals. Orangutans are also threatened with habitat destruction; much of the forested areas they once inhabited has been clear cut or burnt down to make room for palm oil plantations, much of which is found in the majority of the processed food that we consume.

For more information please see: http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/

It is my hope that images such as these force us to think critically about our relationship to and with the other sentient beings with which we share our planet.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.
~ Mahatma Gandhi