View allAll Photos Tagged Poacher
Taken in Botswana when this little one didn't have to worry about hunters and poachers. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Once a safe heaven for elephants and a great example for the rest of the African countries, their new leader has changed course. Such a disappointing move.
Photographed in a photographer's paradise in South Africa. I have deliberately not been specific as to where I photographed this proud loving Rhino mother and child at the owner's request. He lost a pregnant Rhino last year to poachers.
Should we stay or should we go?
Elephant numbers have dropped by 62% over the last decade, and they could be mostly extinct by the end of the next decade. An estimated 100 African elephants are killed each day by poachers seeking ivory, meat and body parts, leaving only 400,000 remaining.
An insatiable lust for ivory products in the Asian market makes the illegal ivory trade extremely profitable, and has led to the slaughter of tens of thousands of African elephants. Between 2010 and 2014, the price of ivory in China tripled, driving illicit poaching through the roof. If the elephants are to survive, the demand for ivory must be stopped .
As of 2011, the world is losing more elephants than the population can reproduce, threatening the future of African elephants across the continent. Bull elephants with big tusks are the main targets and their numbers have been diminished to less than half of the females. Female African elephants have tusks and are also killed, which has a terrible effect on the stability of elephant societies, leaving an increasing number of orphaned baby elephants.
There are still more African elephants being killed for ivory than are being born . . . elephant populations continue to decline. (worldelephantday.org)
Not a happy day with these statistics ... but have a HBW anyway!
African Elephant / Afrikanischer Elefant (Loxodonta africana)
Zambezi river, Lower Zambezi N.P., Zambia
Vultures are fed in a wildlife rehabilitation center in South Africa. The reason behind is this: Poachers often poison the carcasses of their victims, so that vultures die when feeding on the carcass, and do not show the location of a dead animal to the rangers. Due to this practice, there is an alarming decrease of the vulture population. The birds have their place in the ecosystem by playing the part of a sanitary police. For this reason, measures are taken to increase the number of vultures again. At the vulture restaurant here, remains of slaughtered animals (in this case a cow) are fed.
white rhino in Balule Private Game Preserve in South Africa bordering Kruger National Park
the horns in the park have been removed to discourage the killing of rhinos by poachers
The male Painted Bunting is a veritable box of crayons when it comes to its plumage. It has a bright blue head, orange eye ring and a red breast and belly. Its back is green and its wings seem to mix purples, greens and blues.
Female and juvenile Painted Buntings are attractive in their own right – a solid emerald green. This color helps them hide in vegetation while incubating eggs or learning to fly.
The Painted Bunting’s attractive plumage is also its greatest fault. These beauties are in high demand for the wild-caught pet trade.
Trapping of these birds is illegal in most countries, but that doesn’t stop most poachers, particularly those in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, where a lot of the birds spend their winters.
Both male and female Painted Buntings measure about five inches long, which make them slightly smaller than most bluebirds.
Though these birds have remarkable coloration, their song is far less distinctive. Their song is a series of short, high-pitched notes. Other vocalizations include a simple, repetitive “plick” sound.
Painted buntings are granivores in winter and insectivores while breeding, they mainly eat seeds and insects, and will also feed on caterpillars, beetle larvae, spiders, grasshoppers, and snails.
I found this box of Crayons in my backyard Lake Wales, Polk County, Florida. I have three pairs (3 males and 3 females) in my yard at the present time. They have visited with me each winter for the last seven years. They are welcome to visit as long as they like. (smile)
Mad Bess was the wife of an C18th gamekeeper, a demented old woman who prowled these woods at night looking for poachers.
Elephants at Addo Elephant Park, South Africa. The majority of females are tuskless. The following article about research in Mozambique also mentions Addo. Poachers of ivory have forced a selection in breeding. Thus elephants are now being born without tusks. This will affect the entire biome. focusingonwildlife.com/news/in-mozambique-mystery-of-tusk...
I have a poacher family who's been haunting me for yr's. They hunt with bow 3 mths of the yr. Sit on open field side of my bush, bait, and shoot. Of course every deer jumps back into my bush. I have no trespassing signs & no hunting signs all around the project. They know I live 33 mins away and go at night to pick up the deer [when they find them, or I get to find them which sucks]. They are clever and never get caught as wardens live even farther away. Not against hunting for food, and I honestly wouldn't mind if they hunted 1,ooo feet from my edge and took one or two for food [so they dropped before my bush], but I find more than that dead every yr from their lack of hunting ethics. I shoot with a camera & I love this photo as I'd rather see them like this than rotting on the ground. Venting!!!!!
last february i have been very lucky to meet as first car a wild dog pack sleeping on a kruger road.i got photos with an unusual and exceptional low angle.
the wild dog (lycaon pictus) is a really endangered animal and looking on the photos i just found one that really disappoint me...the face of this beautiful dog is marked from a metal snare.those snares are used in massively in the kruger from poachers.fortunatly this time the snare (normally used to hunt antelopes for bushmeat) has closed in the face of the animal and not on the neck.so the dog has been able to escape.thousands of animals are catched from poachers with this deadly snares.it is a non selective trap.every kind of animal can remain trapped.
lions ,leopard and others die in the snares after hours of terrible pain and suffering...elephants can loose a leg.
the rangers many time must kill the injured animal,
but sometimes they kill the poachers........
the damned poachers!
Rhinoceros: since 1973 the population has recovered well and increased to 544 animals around the turn of the century. To ensure the survival of the endangered species in case of epidemics animals are translocated annually from Chitwan to the Bardia National Park and the Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve since 1986. However, the population has repeatedly been jeopardized by poaching: in 2002 alone, poachers killed 37 individuals in order to saw off and sell their valuable horns.[6] Chitwan has the largest population of Indian rhinoceros in Nepal, estimated at 605 individuals out of 645 in total in the country.
Der Park ist bekannt für die Population des Panzernashorns, die bis zur Jahrtausendwende auf 544 Tiere und bis zum Frühjahr 2015 auf 645 Nashörner[6] angewachsen war. Seit 1986 werden alljährlich Tiere von Chitwan in den Bardia-Nationalpark und in das Suklaphanta-Wildreservat übersiedelt. Die Population war aber immer wieder durch Wilderei stark gefährdet: allein im Jahre 2002 haben Wilderer 37 Tiere grausam getötet, um das kostbare Horn absägen und verkaufen zu können. Die letzte Zählung im Jahr 2011 ergab insgesamt 503 Nashörner im Park, im selben Zeitraum starben zwei Tiere durch Wilderer. Bei der Zählung im Frühjahr 2015 wurden 645 Tiere in Nepal gefunden[6], davon 605 im Chitwan-Nationalpark[8], während gleichzeitig in den letzten drei Jahren kein Tier durch Wilderer ums Leben kam.
Created for New!! Challenge #141.0 ~ It's Your Earth ~ The Award Tree ~
www.flickr.com/groups/awardtree/discuss/72157666060585420...
Seventy elephants are killed every day for the tusks. Every week 20 rhinos disappear. Poaching not 'truce and international commitments do not seem to bring the desired results. The pace of killings is likely to climb every prediction about the possible extinction of these wonderful creatures. Fangs, horns and skins feeding a lap of illicit business estimated at over 23 billion dollars a year. But you can not surrender to this devastating scenario, because it is understood, in these years, that there are appropriate measures to stop poaching, which has now become a major activity of international criminal groups, such as drug trafficking and trafficking human.
But corruption among police, poachers and "anti-poaching" is stronger than laws.
It 's amazing that even today, in 2016, in a world that is moving increasingly towards vegan, respect for animals, all this happens as in past centuries.
World should take action, not enough rules of the African countries....
in order to lighten the news...
overlapping of my landscapes, elephants thanks to Pixabay
Thank you for stopping by....
All rights reserved. Image can not be inserted in blogs, websites or any other form, without my written permission.
And their roar raged through the ground, made the trees shiver, the animals look in awe and the ignorant run for cover. Playful fire escaped their nostrils.
"Look! Over there! Poachers!" She yelled, holding on tight over the sturdy metallic white scales.
"Dinner time, yummy!" said one.
"Wait, should we investigate..." said another.
"BURN, BURN!" said the third.
The birds over her horns fluttered their wings in panic, tweeting protests about burning.
She shook her head, caressing the bigger head that purred lightly, "Yes, let's investigate first." she agreed.
"You guys are boring..."
"I was really hungry."
P.S. Natty made these amazing magical horns that are coming soon to Chi. check out her tease preview. Also these 3 headed dragon by Rezz Room, pure love!
Atreyu: Yes. But it's hopeless. It's too far away!
Falkor: Oh, I wouldn't necessarily say that.
Atreyu: You... you know how to get there?
Falkor: Why, sure. It's right around the corner.
Atreyu: How'd all this happen?!
Falkor: [chuckles] With luck! [winks again]
Atreyu: You've already brought me the entire 10,000 miles?
Falkor: No, only 9,891. As the dragon flies.
Atreyu: You're amazing!
Falkor: [chuckles] Having a luckdragon with you is the only way to go on a quest. Things will work out fine, Atreyu. Never give up, and good luck will find you.
- The Neverending Story Movie
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Not a tusker yet but getting there, if he does not fall victim to poachers.
più avanti raggiungiamo la zona di coltivazione di branzini e cozze dove vediamo pure una barchetta di pescatori di frodo
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further on we reach the sea bass and mussel cultivation area where we also find a small boat of poachers
What is a ghost orchid, and where do ghost orchids grow? This rare orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii, is found primarily in humid, marshy areas of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Florida. Ghost orchid plants are also known as white frog orchids, thanks to the frog-like shape of the odd-looking ghost orchid flowers.
With the exception of a handful of people, nobody knows exactly where ghost orchid plants grow. The high level of secretiveness is to protect the plants from poachers who attempt to remove them from their natural environment. Like most wild orchids in the United States, ghost orchid plants are also threatened by loss of pollinators, pesticides, and climate change.
Have you read "The Orchid Thief"?
Ghost Orchid or White Frog Orchid
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami FL
A pub at Spalding which I've not tried. I took this photo while we waited for the water taxi, which is a super trip.
The camera shutter is failing, before Brexit I could have got this fixed easily enough by posting it to someone competent in Europe, but no longer.
Exacta Varex IIa 1960
Zeiss Pancolar 50 mm f/2
Fuji Superia Xtra 400 film
Lab develop & scan
000015510003_0001
Moremi Game Reserve
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighbouring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching.
Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The elephants reacted to this threat by not crossing Chobe River, instead the Chobe then became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and the reputation of Chobe grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, mainly rhino, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. Poachers were ruthlessly dealt with and the task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region and Linyanti today is being touted as equal to Chobe when it comes to elephant experience.
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. Wikipedia
This was the first time I had ever seen a Parrot in the wild before. I have seen wild Lovebirds and Parakeets but never a true Parrot. I searched for this Parrot unsuccessfully in San Diego, so it was really cool to finally see one in Texas. I saw them nesting in palm trees as well during my trip, which was neat to see.
This particular parrot was all alone (which is unusual). He was eating in this tree in the parking lot of Estero Llano Grande State Park. It was a real surprise to find him there! He was as tame as ever and very beautiful. This is one of the few Parrots that the American Birding Association deems as countable. The birds in South Texas are feral or descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico. The other name for this bird is Red-crowned Amazon.
Unfortunately, this endemic Mexican Parrot is endangered and numbers are continuing to decline. There are only 1500 birds left in the wild in Mexico. The main reason they are declining is due to habitat loss and because they are being trapped and sold illegally to the US and within Mexico itself. Around 78,500 birds are captured and traded each year in Mexico.
We must do all we can to help end the cruel and illegal Parrot trade, where many Parrots die during transport, are sold in markets in tiny cages and whole wild bird populations are decimated.
Parrots are extremely social animals that live in flocks and fly long distances. Therefore, to be alone in a cage is very stressful for such an intelligent bird where they can no longer fly, groom and interact.
The industry is poorly regulated in Mexico and there is little enforcement for criminal activity. The best way to fight this problem is awareness, education, proper enforcement and jail time for poachers. Also, if you must have a parrot do not buy one but adopt a rescue bird instead.
Turkey Vultures seem to have a "world weary" expression, as if they have seen it all, and there's nothing that can surprise them.
They truly are nature's clean-up crew, and when there is a group circling overhead, it's a good sign there's been a kill.
I read some time ago that in Africa, poachers kill vultures, as they would provide clues to the game wardens that there had been an illegal kill, and that's how they were finding the poachers. The kill of the vultures obviously created a lot of problems, as they are such an important part of the ecosystem.
Photo taken May 18, 2023
Moremi Game Reserve
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighbouring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching.
Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The elephants reacted to this threat by not crossing Chobe River, instead the Chobe then became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and the reputation of Chobe grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, mainly rhino, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. Poachers were ruthlessly dealt with and the task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of the migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region and Linyanti today is being touted as equal to Chobe when it comes to elephant experience.
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. Wikipedia
A mother White Rhinoceros and her baby met on the road to Satara... to protect them from poachers the guards have to cut off their horns...the price to pay to live
Une mère Rhinocéros blanc et son petit rencontrés sur la route de Satara... pour les protéger des braconniers les gardes doivent leur couper les cornes... le prix à payer pour vivre !!!
Those of you who know that I visited this reserve last year will know that I took some action shots of a Cheetah mom and her two cubs who were having a blast! I'm saddened to have to report that the two cubs didn't make it. As a result, the same momma here, from last year was hyper vigilant and looking out constantly for anything that might endanger her cubs. We were painfully aware that just a mile away from where she was hiding the cubs, a small lion pride was hanging out although they were surrounded by Wildebeest and herds of antelope. The cubs are bigger than the cubs from last year, she has done so so well in protecting them. They are so so vulnerable! Vulnerable to lions, poachers, the exotic pet trade and local farmers. I just hope they all make it.
They can most certainly all move!!
Photographed at Nambiti game reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
We have now arrived at Chobe National Park. Chobe Park is a huge area that was set aside for the animals of Botswana in 1968.
There are flood plains (like this one) swamp and woodlands. Hundreds of animals can be seen on the flood plain one minute and then it can be deserted. It is an incredible visual treat and one of the wonders of nature. One afternoon there were hundreds of elephants and one day these Cape Buffalos. In the morning you expected to see great numbers of animals only to see the plains empty.
Because Botswana limits the numbers of visitors that can on safari, you can truly feel like you are experiencing the wilderness at its best. Since Botswana kills poachers on sight, the huge hers of elephants are protected successfully!
The Cape Buffalo can be quite fierce so it was a bit overwhelming to see such a large herd all in one place. The safari guide always is cautious when viewing such spectacles and I knew there wouldn't be a stampede.
A reminder that all of my images are copyrighted and are not for your use in any way unless you contact me.
Not likely ... A woman selling poached birds at a Chiang Mai flea market turns away from the camera to avoid getting identified. People buy these birds to set them free.
One elephant's tusks appear to have been broken off at some point. Once an elephant's tusk breaks off it does not grow back. One positive, that elephant is now less of a target for poachers! But it definitely makes his daily life more difficult.
Young Southern white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). The youngsters still had intact horns, but the adults had their larger front horn trimmed, a common but controversial conservation tactic used in South Africa to deter poachers
Mala Mala Game Reserve, South Africa
Conservation status: near threatened
Thank you for your views and comments. They are all greatly appreciated.
Okavango Delta
Botswana
Southern Africa
Botswana has the largest elephant population on the continent due to tight protection and civil unrest in neighboring countries. The relative difficulty in accessing the wildlife areas coupled with the military threat to poachers has allowed the elephant population in Botswana to grow.
The Chobe River front was once only a part of the ancient elephant migration routes but with civil war in Angola and the war of liberation in Namibia the elephants fell victim to mass poaching. Rival armies were killing elephants for target practice and to sell ivory for weapons. The Chobe became the dry season refuge for the herds and over the years the numbers built up and Chobe’s reputation grew.
There have been incidents of poaching in Botswana, but the government decided to set up a military task force in the fight against the scourge. The task force became a full-time anti-poaching unit.
The end of the war in Namibia, and relative peace having returned to Angola, the elephants have slowly but surely started moving across the Chobe River again. There are many elephants that have not had the experience of migration routes and still see Chobe as a dry season refuge.
The Linyanti area of Botswana was once a hunting concession but in the past 10 years, with only photographic tourism being offered, the elephants are starting to return en masse to the region..
Other areas of Botswana such as the Okavango Delta also see high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source. – Internet Source - Botswana Wildlife
Serval photographed at Emdoneni Cheetah project, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
Servals are generally found throughout South Africa in wetlands and grasslands though are renowned for being elusive. Not surprisingly as they remain at risk from the exotic pet industry, farmers and poachers for their beautiful coats.
"The Cage at Lyme Park was originally built around 1580 as a hunting lodge where the ladies of the estate could watch the hunt.
At night it was used as a banqueting hall. It overlooks the nearby moors and 1,300 acres of park land.
In later years it was used as a game keeper’s residence and as a jail for poachers. The tower was recently featured as a film location in the 2011 supernatural thriller – The Awakening"
White rhinos (the name doesn’t come from their colour but originally a reference to their ‘wide’ mouths) have had mixed fortunes.
Sadly there are no ‘northern’ white rhinos left in the wild, and only a handful in captivity. But the ‘southern’ white rhino is a conservation success story – it’s been helped back from under 100 in 1895 to nearly 20,000 in the wild today.
For the black rhino (slightly smaller, with a more pointed top lip) the worst period was between 1970 and 1992, when around 96% of them were lost to wide-scale poaching. Only 5,000 are left in the wild today.
Poaching of rhinos for rhino horn is still a huge threat, and the poachers have got increasingly better equipped. Help us make sure we don’t lose these incredibly precious creatures.
And please keep in mind:
Consuming Rhino horn is as effective as biting fingernails !!!
More information about their desperate attempt to survive human greed and cruelty here at www.savetherhino.org
White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros / Breitmaulnashorn (Ceratotherium simum)
peacefully grazing in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya
The Ugandan Kob is a subspecies of the kob, a type of antelope. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa in South Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Ugandan Kob is normally reddish-brown, differentiating it from other kob subspecies.
It is typically found in open or wooded savanna, within a reasonable distance of water, and it also occurs in grasslands near rivers and lakes. Its habit of lying out in open grassland make it an accessible target for poachers, and 98% of the present population are found in national parks and other protected areas.
A Ugandan Kob appears on the coat of arms of Uganda, along with a Grey Crowned Crane, representing the abundant wildlife present in the country.
Queen Elizabeth II National Park, Uganda. February 2017.
Ōrua Paeroa – North New Brighton
Travis Wetland Ōrua Paeroa was a Māori kaika at North New Brighton near to Travis Wetland situated on the site of present day QEII Park. This complex was the site of the 1974 Commonwealth Games hosted by Christchurch City. Sadly, QEII Park was demolished after extensive damage to the park following the 2011 earthquakes.
Ōrua Paeroa was known as the place where strong east winds blew in from the sea. It was used primarily as a mahinga kai and abounded with eels and birdlife.
In the past this wetland area had an opening that extended to the sea and Ngāi Tahu traditions recall that shark could be caught here at certain times of the year.
Almost always on guard! they are food to large cats like lions and leopards... (although they don`t know that the lions were all poisoned in this park by the poachers.) Also Jackal and Hyenas. Black Kites are a threat to them as well.
The Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is a fascinating, small African vulture that has a deeply tragic story.
Despite being incredibly vital to the ecosystems they inhabit, these birds are facing an unprecedented crisis.
From "Abundant" to Critically Endangered
For centuries, Hooded Vultures were one of the most common sights across sub-Saharan Africa. They adapted beautifully to living alongside humans, acting as regular visitors to urban markets, dumpsters, and villages. However, their populations have crashed so violently—declining by over 50% to 83% across recent generations—that the IUCN officially classified them as Critically Endangered. They are now on the very brink of extinction.
Targeted by Poachers
Because vultures circle over carcasses, they act as natural warning beacons in the bush. When poachers illegally kill elephants or rhinos for ivory and horn, circling vultures alert park rangers to the crime scene. To prevent their positions from being given away, poachers deliberately lace the megafauna carcasses with highly toxic pesticides, killing hundreds of vultures at a single feeding site.
Victims of the Illegal Wildlife TradeHooded Vultures are heavily targeted for belief-based use and traditional medicine (sometimes called Muti or Vodun practices). In some West African markets, researchers found that up to 90% of all bird parts traded belonged to the Hooded Vulture. They are killed because of superstitious beliefs that their brains or heads can grant clairvoyance, bring good luck, or predict the future.
Vultures cannot bounce back easily from mass mortality events. Hooded Vultures are strictly monogamous, pairing for life, and they lay only one single egg per breeding cycle. If a parent is poisoned or killed, the entire reproductive line for that year—and potentially the surviving mate's future—is shattered.
Unlike larger, more aggressive vulture species, Hooded Vultures are relatively small (weighing only about 1.5 to 2.6 kg) and quite shy. At a carcass, they cannot compete with bigger birds or mammalian predators. They are forced to wait patiently on the fringes for the scraps, picking at the bare skin and bones after everyone else leaves. Ironically, their patience makes them incredibly vulnerable to the residual toxins left in poisoned carcasses.
Vultures are nature's ultimate cleanup crew. Their stomach acid is a biological marvel—so incredibly acidic (pH 1 to 2) that it completely neutralizes deadly pathogens like anthrax, rabies, and botulism that would kill other animals. As Hooded Vultures quietly vanish from African towns and ecosystems.
Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) adult landing Senegal_L_9250.
EMR Adalante No.180111 is working the Saturdays only 1S02 11:42 Skegness - Derby at Honington. 06-08-2022.
I noticed that some of the adult elephants did not have tusks. I asked one of our guides about this and he replied that it is a result of poaching. The poachers take the large tusked elephants out of the gene pool and over time more and more elephants with no tusks are born. About 30 percent are tuskless. It is a disadvantage for them because they do use their tusks to dig up roots to eat.
Casual as you like, this Rhino stepped out into the road, no fear of death by tourist coach, but poachers might be another matter.
This shot taken in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The Skua enjoys the egg that it stole from the penguin nest - - there will be one less penguin in the world.
The Skua is not the only egg poacher though - - the farmers in the Falklands used to harvest these eggs once upon a time - - its not a practice being done anymore though.
Skua - Falkland Islands
No one wants to see God's beautiful creation behind a fence, in a cage; albeit protected from the wild poachers, but it can be a good thing if our animals are well cared for... still I know some will argue the point. I for one, am thankful to be able to at least get to meet these amazing creatures in a set setting, I talk with them and try to convey a sense of calm and crazy rationale and ask forgiveness for human's mistakes with creation. This female Snow Leopard is starting to recognize me when I come visiting. If you look a little into eyes, you can see my reflection...