LOVE IS WILD
The Gallery
The breathtaking LOVE IS WILD photography collection by Sean Lee-Davies redefines the relationship between man
and the animal kingdom, showcasing man not as conqueror and consumer of nature’s
resources, but as a conscientious co-habitant and guardian, standing alongside and preserving
nature’s most magnificent creatures.
All
Big Cats
Elephant
Leuser
Underwater
Rhinos
- SwarmFreediving instructor Suzanne Lim swims in to a dazzling shoal of sardines. It may seem like sardines are, well, packed like sardines in the ocean—the tiny fish travel in schools of millions. But they aren’t immune to the effects of commercial fishing. As an example, the West Coast Pacific sardine population has crashed by 90 percent in 2007.They are not only a vital source of food for humans but all kinds of large marine life.
- Coral DreamJennifer Tse floats above a coral reef in the Maldives. Coral reefs are some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, housing tens of thousands of marine species. About one-third of all marine fish species live part of their lives on coral reefs. Due to global warming, poisoning and acidification of the oceans, as well as El Nino and global bleaching events, at the current rate it’s projected they will mostly have disappeared by 2050. More than anything else, the loss of corals will drastically affect our food chain, especially for the millions of humans who depend on fish as their primary source of protein. Clothing Credit: S.Nine by Susanna Soo
- Forest GoldGaile Lok standing in front of a dipterocarpaceae hardwood tree species highly prized by illegal loggers in the Leuser ecosystem. Once virgin rainforest is cut down, it is impossible to recover the lost biodiversity. However, certain programs are aimed at reclaiming illegally cut down forests by growing secondary rainforest. Given a chance, nature returns very quickly.
- HeadstrongMikki Yao stands serenely with a male elephant that was the victim of human wildlife conflict and is now looked after at an elephant sanctuary in Tangkakan, Indonesia. Asian elephants are smaller than their African counterparts with smaller tusks. However, they too are targeted now because of the illegal ivory trade as the value of ivory skyrockets.
- The DudeA young orphaned orangutan in Sepilok, Borneo. With the fires raging all over Indonesia, his wilder counterparts are facing a grim future as their habitats are burned to the ground for palm oil expansion. Orangutans usually stay in the canopy until the fires surround them. When they are found by rescuers they are usually asphyxiated or scorched to death.
- Classic LewaA female Black rhino with her calf taking shade under an Acacia tree, at Lewa wildlife conservancy, Kenya . It’s rare to see a rhino these days wondering around with a full horn as most are shaved to protect them from poachers. Rhino horn is made of keratin, the same material as hair or fingernails.
- The Last StandOne of four remaining Northern White Rhino, an officially extinct species, at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya 2015. Their plight is symbolic of a human inability to coordinate and act in advance of impending tragedy. Ol Pejeta now spend millions of dollars every year with round the clock security to protect this extinct species. All because of their horns. Rhino horn is worth more than gold on the illegal black market and yet there is no scientific evidence to suggest it has any medicinal value whatsover.
- GleeMikki Yao with a herd of Asian Elephants, Tangkahan, Indonesia. These elephants are all victims of human-wildlife conflict and now live and work at a sanctuary. It’s not all play, these elephants are used to patrol the surrounding national park and rainforest to stop illegall poaching and habitat enfringement