LOVE IS WILD

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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.

Swarm
Freediving 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.
Smile
Free diving expert Jean-Pol Francois hover above a wild whale shark in Oslob, the Philipines.
Bleached
Freediver Ken Kiriyama rests on the sea floor in the Maldives. Global temperature rises and El Nino has led to extensive bleaching of coral around the world.
Coral Dream
Jennifer 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
Sunburst
Freediver Suzanne Lim swims alongside a whale shark, Oslob, Philippines, 2013
Dive
Suzanne Lim dives down into a shoal of sardines. Freedivers can dive down to 200m and holding their breath over for up to 11 mins giving them an unparalleled freedom and access to marine life.
Mighty
A Black rhino at the Stanley Livingstone Conservancy in Zimbabwe, protected by the International Anti Poaching Foundation. Since the IAPF introduced patrols there has been no more poaching at the park
Praise
Jocelyn Luko-Sandstrom sits prostrate with one of the four remaining Northern White Rhinos at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya
Last Female Standing
Jocelyn Luko-Sandstrom stands with one of four remaining Northern White Rhino at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya.This an officially extinct species. Let’s hope we can do more for the rhino species that remain
Forest Gold
Gaile 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.
Tree Pixie
Gaile Lok sitting between the buttress roots of a dipterocarpaceae hardwood tree species, highly prized by illegal loggers in the Leuser ecosystem. These trees can grow up to 80m high and live for hundreds of years.
Headstrong
Mikki 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.
Hanging On
A young orphaned orangutan in Sumatra, Indonesia. They once roamed the continent but with exponential increase palm oil expansion over the last few years, it’s estimated that less than 7,500 orangutans remain in the wild in Sumatra.
Outreach
Mia Kang reaches out to an Orangutan now living in the wild in Bukit Lawang, Indonesia. Less than 7,500 Sumatran orangutans survive in the wild.
The Dude
A 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.
Caught on Camera
Jennifer Tse with an orphaned cheetah at Wild is Life, a sanctuary in Zimbabwe. Cheetahs are the fastest land animals on the planet but are surprisingly fragile and require a large amount of space to hunt. In 1900 there were 100,000 across Africa, now approximately 10,000 remain
Horizon
A cheetah scoping the savannah for potential prey in Tanzania, 2010. Cheetahs are under threat from habitat loss as they require large spaces to roam.
Levi
Jennifer Tse with Levi, an orphaned cheetah at Wild is Life, Zimbabwe. These are not tame cats but are habituated. Cheetahs are incredible to get close to, like cats they are constantly purring. Note the heart shaped nose!
Feline
Jennifer Tse poses with orphaned cheetah Levi at the Wild is Life conservancy in Zimbabwe.
Turning Heads
Orphaned cheetah Diesel at Wild is Life in Zimbabwe. Cheetahs are the most elegant but fragile of the big cats.
Spotted
A leopard walking through the thick bush of Sabi Sands,South Africa. Leopards are the strongest of the big cats and the most solitary and elusive. While leopards face decline through habitat loss, they are not as threatened as their cousins.
Growing Pride
A baby lion that has been separated from his mother at birth and reared at Antelope Park in Zimbabwe in the hope that one day it can be reintroduced back into the wild.
Respect
Anthony Sandstrom spending time with an orphan at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi Orphanage.
The March
A head of elephants march across the savannah of Amboseli National Park, Kenya, with Mt. Kilimanjaro looming in the distance.
Gentle Giants
Two fully grown female elephants saunter right past in the Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Sand Bath
An elephant douses himself with sand on the banks of the Zambezi river to protect his skin from the sun and parasites.
On The Edge
Jennifer Tse sits calmly in the pool while a wild elephant drinks from a watering hole in Hwange Park, Zimbabwe.
Mana from Heaven
Two elephants enjoying some tree bark in the forests of Mana Pools, Zimbabwe.
Classic Lewa
A 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.
Greet
Jennifer Tse free dives wearing a gown right under a wild whale shark, Oslob Philippines. Clothing credit: Cocoon
Halo
Whale sharks can grow up to 20m long. There’s still so much we don’t know about these giant creatures – nobody has ever seen them mate or give birth.
The Last Stand
One 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.
Elephant Dream
Mikki Yao poses serenely with an elephant that was the victim of human wildlife conflict and is now looked after at an elephant sanctuary in Tangkakan, Indonesia.
Glee
Mikki 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
Watering Hole
A herd of elephants drinking from a watering hole in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Secret Garden
A large male asian elephant wades through the lush undergrowth while on patrol in the Leuser Ecosystem.
Born To Be Wild
A male adult lion looking straight up at me. Lions are in decline all over Africa due to human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss.
Silver Moon
A lone female lioness in Amboseli National Park. It’s unusual to see a lioness separated from the pride, usually either because she is lost of she has recently been mating. We followed her into the night until we had to leave. Big cats in Amboseli National Park

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