Photo: Li Feng
National Geographic has just chosen the winners of its International Photography Contest. Out of 148,203 images submitted, this particular one above by Chinese photographer Li Feng won for the category Animal - International.
Caged monkeys await their fate at a medical laboratory in Hubei Province, China. The judges liked that this image subverted the usual “romanticized” approach to wildlife photography, and more accurately reflected the fate of many of the world’s animals. The sneaker at the top provides scale and injects humanity into the scene; the anonymity of its wearer suggests concealment and complicity. The structure of the cages, the horror of the captivity, the crowded composition, and the claustrophobic tension all add up to a very sad and compelling photo.
See the winners here: Link [Flash] - Thanks Marilyn Terrell!
I sympathize with you. Try subscribing to Scientific American -- it's most sad what a biased single-view political agenda piece of trash that has become. No more subscription to me, but I still occasionally buy it because of a technology article that interests me (usually when I am trapped in an airport on an unexpected layover). EVERY time I shake my head in disgust that they only powder puff one side of the issue or look at some proposed energy solution through rose-colored glasses. Show us BOTH sides and let us learn and decide ourselevs.
Back to the monkeys... I like critters. Some I find very tasty. Others are useful at saving human lives through research. In either case, though, they should be treated with respect and not subjected to unnecessary suffering or cruelty.
I have been a subscriber to National Geographic for probably 30 years and it has lost it's way. It has become a political tool for whiners and complainers. The adventure is only a tiny part of its pages, anymore. I keep signing up year after year and I'm getting sick and tired of having political opinions and agendas pushed down my throat.