kdee64
Predator and Prey, Red Fox
One from the summer, I watched this Red Fox stalk, chase down and kill an Arctic Ground Squirrel that had ventured a little too far from its den. Foxes can be lightning fast, as was this one when it chased down its prey. It was over quickly and the ground squirrel did not suffer, though it seemed to put up a bit of a fight.
Ethical notes: I apologize to anybody who might be offended by the graphic nature of this image. As a nature photographer, my main purpose is to celebrate the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world through images. I struggle with photos like this because I really hate to see any living creature suffer. I don't like to view cruelty of any sort in nature photographs or footage. I believe that life is infinitely cruel enough, and we don't need to be reminded by viewing a grisly spectacle. I posted this shot somewhat reluctantly, after carefully considering the technical and aesthetic quality of the image, the fact that the prey was already dead and not suffering, and there was no visible blood or flesh. Like it or not, we all have to eat, and ultimately, we are probably all just food in nature's grand scheme.
Technical: It was a cloudy, low-light situation. I had to hand-hold the camera at 1/80 @ 500 mm to get this shot, not an easy task, as anybody with a long lens can appreciate.
Predator and Prey, Red Fox
One from the summer, I watched this Red Fox stalk, chase down and kill an Arctic Ground Squirrel that had ventured a little too far from its den. Foxes can be lightning fast, as was this one when it chased down its prey. It was over quickly and the ground squirrel did not suffer, though it seemed to put up a bit of a fight.
Ethical notes: I apologize to anybody who might be offended by the graphic nature of this image. As a nature photographer, my main purpose is to celebrate the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world through images. I struggle with photos like this because I really hate to see any living creature suffer. I don't like to view cruelty of any sort in nature photographs or footage. I believe that life is infinitely cruel enough, and we don't need to be reminded by viewing a grisly spectacle. I posted this shot somewhat reluctantly, after carefully considering the technical and aesthetic quality of the image, the fact that the prey was already dead and not suffering, and there was no visible blood or flesh. Like it or not, we all have to eat, and ultimately, we are probably all just food in nature's grand scheme.
Technical: It was a cloudy, low-light situation. I had to hand-hold the camera at 1/80 @ 500 mm to get this shot, not an easy task, as anybody with a long lens can appreciate.