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The Beauty Of Rescued Black Market Animals Portrayed In 19 Majestic Photographs
When animals are sold into the black market, they lose their freedom, and in many heartbreaking cases, their lives. A sanctuary in Agua Dulce, California, has teamed up with a Los Angeles-based photographer to showcase the beauty and strength of the lucky animals they've managed to save from this heinous cycle of captivity, and the resulting photoshoot is positively 'wild.'
Where the Wild Things Are is a stunning collaboration between Animal Tracks and Natasha Wilson of De Anastacia Photography, and features various animals intended for sale as pets on the Californian black market, including an African serval, South American capuchin monkeys, and even an Australian kangaroo. The magnificent creatures are posed next to models wearing colour-coordinated outfits, fronting nature-inspired backdrops that remind one of the habitats from which these animals were so cruelly plucked. Despite the horrors they have experienced, in Wild Things, each animal appears dignified and completely at peace.
Take a walk on the Wild side and see the breathtaking photos for yourself below, as well as a short backstory on each one. If you live in California and would like to help Animal Tracks rescue more animals like these, you can find more info here.
More info: De Anastacia Photography, Facebook, Instagram (h/t)
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Wolf
Scout is a 5 year old wolf/dog hybrid and is currently dealing with stenosis of the spine. He has the most amazing attitude for an animal that is part wolf. He is friendly to all and enjoys a good game of tug-o-war and long walks at Vasquez Rocks. Scout came from the movie industry where they realized that he had a medical issue and needed to have a specialized home.
So, we start off with an animal that has nothing at all to do with the Black Market.
African Serval
Monzo is one of the last remaining animals of the original Animal Tracks family. He is an 11 year old African Serval, the mid size cat of Africa. He was confiscated by Fish and Game from someone who had him illegally. He is a sweet old man, always looking for some love, and is a great ranch ambassador for his species.
I would like to know the environment from which he was "rescued". If he was not cared for properly, then of course, I am ALL for the confiscation. Because, here he is...still...a pet. How did he benefit from the confiscation?? If he was cared for properly, then all they did was take him from the only home he has ever known and caused undue trauma. I am only bringing this up because I believe these animals should be dealt with on a case by case basis. The OWNER should be penalized for purchasing a wild animal from the black market, however, in doing so, the animal should not have to suffer avoidable stress.
Laughing Kookaburra
Bam-Bam is a captive bred Laughing Kookaburra, and approximately 9 years old. He was attacked by another bird and lost the bottom quarter of his beak. He is now dependent on the sanctuary to keep his beak short enough for him to drink and eat successfully. He is the voice of Animal Tracks.
Cockatoos
Jake and Cami are cockatoos, and both previously owned pets. The pet owners, for various reasons, could no longer care for them. These two are some of the nicest cockatoos you will ever meet. They love having lunch with the employees of Animal Tracks and enjoy musical groups like Queen and Blue Swede. The love talking, singing and even screaming.
Bengal Cat
Cheshire the Bengal Cat is now approximately 11 years old and has had several owners in his lifetime. The last one was a busy person and Cheshire needed more of the owners time. He started to do negative things like poop and pee where he pleased, shred curtains and bedding and even attack other pets. This is a common story for animals that are part domestic and part exotic. He now resides in a 200 square-foot kitty cat house at Animal Tracks, with his new best friend Monzo the Serval.
Bengals are a domestic cat breed since the 80's and allowed to be kept in most of the countries. I myself have two. They are different from your usual neighborhood tabby, to be sure, but if provided with enough stimulation they make wonderful pets.
Squirrel Monkey
Luke is a 7 year old Squirrel Monkey. He was privately owned, and got in a fight with another monkey which resulted in the loss of all of his fingers on his right hand. He lives with the love of his life, Princess Leia, quite peacefully, though he does still occasionally flirt with the ladies of Animal Tracks.
Kinkajous
Honey Bear and Luna are Kinkajous. Honey Bear is three years old, and has adopted Luna, a yearling. Honey Bear was a surplus animal in Florida at another facility. Luna was attacked by her mother while living in Minnesota. They are guardians of the night, one of the nocturnal representatives at Animal Tracks.
No comment love for this small fella? Actually quite cute, reminds me of Stitch (From Lilo and Stitch)
Porcupine
Porcupine Quillamenia (pictured) and her husband Al Sharpton have been happily cohabiting at Animal Tracks since 2008. They were surplus animals at another facility, meaning, this facility already had enough of their own and were trying to help find homes for others. Quillamenia and Al like to come out for long walks and visit the monkeys who will often save their own monkey chow just for them.
Cavy Family
The cavy family are around 2 years old. They came from Arizona where they were previously owned and the owner relinquished them for unknown reasons. They love shoelaces and monkey chow and are hoping for a sod garden this fall. The cavy family is a family of rodents native to South America, in the same family as the domestic guinea pig.
Red Kangaroo
Bella Roo is a five-year-old female red kangaroo. She is married to the love of her life, Winston the wallaby and they have been happily cohabiting at Animal Tracks ever since they met. They love yams, spinach, romain lettuce and warm sunny days. Animal Tracks is hoping for a good 20 years with them. Both Bella Roo and Winston were previously owned by people who were not permitted to have them.
Fennec Fox
Dobie is a 1 year old Fennec Fox. He was rejected by his mother as a baby and went to a rescue in Minnesota. Animal Tracks owner Stacy, and her family flew to Minnesota where they picked him up along with Luna, a baby Kinkajou. Dobie should be living with other fennec foxes so Animal Tracks is hoping the universe will grace them with another fennec fox as a companion soon.
Alligator
Chomper the alligator is now 7 years old, and 2 1/2 feet long. He is truly a living fossil from the time of dinosaurs. He was confiscated from someone who had him living in their bathtub. When he becomes an adult, he could achieve 14 feet and weigh 800 pounds.
Snake
Erminator, the snake came to Animal Tracks back in the late 1990s. He came from a couple of ladies that didn't realize how big the snake was going to get, and has now been educating kids on how to take care of reptiles for over 15 years - an incredible ambassador for his species. Next year he will be 20 years old!
Baboon
Krissy the baboon is the queen of Animal Tracks. Previously, she was part of a trio of baboons in the movie industry. Krissy’s previous owner, a very good friend of Animal Tracks, saw the other two baboons would pick on her. He felt it would be better for her to have her own place and offered Krissy to the animal sanctuary. Krissy is now constantly learning new things such as finger painting, jumping on the trampoline and taking walks in Vasquez park.
Armadillo
Frank the Tank is a 4 year old ‘six banded’ armadillo previously owned in San Diego. He prefers the life of a solitary man. He loves crunchy insects and big sandy dirt piles, and his favorite pass time is excavation.
Ferret
There are five ferrets at Animal Tracks; all from different walks of life. Some were owned illegally and some came to them from shelters, but all are loved and healthy at the sanctuary. They have a very social society and get along great together.
It is not legal to own a ferret in California or Hawaii.
Load More Replies...Striped Skunk
Little Bear is a 3 year old male striped skunk. He now resides in captivity because his mother was fed by people, became dependent on neighborhood handouts and was killed as a nuisance animal. Little Bear now educates people all over Southern California on the truth about skunks and what you should do if you see one.
Skunks are amazing animals and can be very good pets if circumstances warrant. They are very social and need tons of attention so they are not for people with kids or long work hours away from home. I had a couple when I was a kid and they were so sweet and fun, never had them de-scented and not once did they spray because they never felt threatened. They even got along with our river otter.
Monkeys
Squirt and Maci are the female monkeys of Animal Tracks. Squirt is a 23 year old Capuchin hybrid from the movie industry, never abused. Maci is a 5 year old and sister to Marley, the boy Capuchin. They were owned by a woman in Arizona, who moved to California and relinquished them to the sanctuary when she moved. Squirt and Maci have a mother/daughter relationship and love each other very much.
Monkey
Marley is a Capuchin monkey, and is one of 7 monkeys at Animal Tracks. Always the life of the party, Marley loves zippers, cameras and going through your hair. It is said that Marley lives life to the fullest and is always monkeying around. He came from Arizona where it is legal to have a monkey for a pet. When the owner moved to California, she had to give up Marley and responsibly found him and his sister Macy a permitted home at the animal sanctuary.
I understand these are all for a nobile cause, but this series looks like the beauty of fashionable women, not the beauty of rescued animals. Not to criticize, just.... It doesn't feel like the animal is the protagonist of the photo. They do all look fabulous though, photos, models, animals, all.
That was my immediate impression as well Daria. The animals seemed to be a 'filler' for the main subject: the model and her clothing. :(
Load More Replies...Beautiful list... animals deserve so much more than what WE think they're entitled to receive.
The closest thing to a "black market" rescue in this article is the serval. The alligator and kangaroo were taken from from irresponsible owners. The rest are exotic pets responsibly relinquished, surplus animals, and movie industry or captive-bred animals who needed more extensive care than the average person would be able to provide. Calling them "black market" dilutes both the issues of actual black market animals, and of responsible ownership, and is sloppy journalism.
Does it matter that they arn't from the black market. The idea is that they are beautiful and show that everything together human and animal is beautiful, just because they exaggerate in the title doesn't detract from the meaning or the beauty.
Load More Replies...ok, cute and all. but most of these have nothing to do with the black market, or at least not as the history describes them.
Does it matter that they arn't from the black market. The idea is that they are beautiful and show that everything together human and animal is beautiful, just because they exaggerate in the title doesn't detract from the meaning or the beauty.
Load More Replies...So they are "rescued" them from pet market only so they can have them as pets and do a photo session with them?
No, they're at a rescue centre called "Animal Tracks" which is mentioned multiple times in this article.
Load More Replies...What a beautiful shoot with an important message. Thank you for sharing :)
I love the number of pet owners on here who realized their pets needed better and found a good, responsible, new home for them.
It is a better outcome than it could be, but the problem is they shouldn't have been taken from the wild in the first place. It's incredibly sad and selfish. :(
Load More Replies...I agree with Daria B the models are almost the 'highlight' of the image and are more 'main' than the actual animal, however, I still think it it is for a brilliant cause and just because the models star a bit more doesn't detract from the importance and the symbolism the animals create and are,
The animals + these models(owners?) are damn good. And we all like to see an another list from them.
Great story and beautiful animals...but the freakishly overdressed and over-made-up women seem painfully and distractingly out of place. Very weird photos.
MUCH more widespread advertising NEEDS to be done regarding this issue. The average person has NO idea what perpetuating the black market sales of wild animals causes! Because there ARE so many people willing to not only purchase, but pay an exorbitant amount of money for these animals poor people living in those countries, of course, see it as an easy way to make a living. Much work NEEDS to be done to show everybody what happens when these animals are taken and sold. The conditions in which they are transported are dreadful and indeed DEADLY to many of those packed into tiny transportable cages. MANY, many animals die during transport. Additionally, the poachers, of course are going after the young! The mothers of these animals fight to the death to try to keep them safe! In many cases in fact, most of the family group will try to intercede to protect the baby! The poachers kill them ALL! Just to nab ONE baby to sell! If the average person knew how many animals died...
I agree but this is not what this photo shoot is about
Load More Replies...It's amazing how many animals turn up in the Black market. They are mistreated and taken from the wild, which drains their wild populations. It's an industry for billions with millions of living beings. If you have a heart, never let this business prosper, don't buy exotic animals or any souvenirs with animal or plant origins from unknown source.
I think the opening statement is a little bit of a misleading, as only a few are black market. Some are from the film industry, some where given to the shelter. Should say something about the shelter more and the work they do to educate. Not make it sound so dramatic.
What are the women doing in these pics?? I don't care what the headline of this project is, the pictures by themselves are just as exploitational like the regular 'Tourist with tortured tiger cub' pictures (albeit better styled)
Wonder what those overdressed and over-make-uped women are for. They certainly don't make the pictures any nicer...
I disagree. They have been dressed to look like an extravagant, personified version of the animal. Very beautiful indeed, adding a touch of interest and whimsy to the pictures. If there were no beautifully dressed and designed people, the animals actually wouldn't stand out as much, or they would be viewed as "cute" instead of powerful and rescued.
Load More Replies...cont...just so they could selfishly own a wild animal, maybe they would not purchase one! The ugly story of black market wild animals needs to be shown to the public! They NEED to see the ugliness, torture and death it perpetuates!
Ah I hit send too fast. But if this were really about the beauty of black market animals then why are the animals just a prop in these photos for outrageous overdressed models? I was hoping for pictures of exotic animals looking happy in a natural environment but instead I got costumes with a hint of animals and even some were hardly visible. Come on man, this article sucks.
Load More Replies...Sadly, the photographer feels that only women are capable of being "models wearing colour-coordinated outfits, fronting nature-inspired backdrops." Purely sexist.
Would you say the same if it were all men, should men start wearing womens clothing etc. Just because the photographer thought women should mainly dominate the photo shoot does not mean he is sexist
Load More Replies...I understand these are all for a nobile cause, but this series looks like the beauty of fashionable women, not the beauty of rescued animals. Not to criticize, just.... It doesn't feel like the animal is the protagonist of the photo. They do all look fabulous though, photos, models, animals, all.
That was my immediate impression as well Daria. The animals seemed to be a 'filler' for the main subject: the model and her clothing. :(
Load More Replies...Beautiful list... animals deserve so much more than what WE think they're entitled to receive.
The closest thing to a "black market" rescue in this article is the serval. The alligator and kangaroo were taken from from irresponsible owners. The rest are exotic pets responsibly relinquished, surplus animals, and movie industry or captive-bred animals who needed more extensive care than the average person would be able to provide. Calling them "black market" dilutes both the issues of actual black market animals, and of responsible ownership, and is sloppy journalism.
Does it matter that they arn't from the black market. The idea is that they are beautiful and show that everything together human and animal is beautiful, just because they exaggerate in the title doesn't detract from the meaning or the beauty.
Load More Replies...ok, cute and all. but most of these have nothing to do with the black market, or at least not as the history describes them.
Does it matter that they arn't from the black market. The idea is that they are beautiful and show that everything together human and animal is beautiful, just because they exaggerate in the title doesn't detract from the meaning or the beauty.
Load More Replies...So they are "rescued" them from pet market only so they can have them as pets and do a photo session with them?
No, they're at a rescue centre called "Animal Tracks" which is mentioned multiple times in this article.
Load More Replies...What a beautiful shoot with an important message. Thank you for sharing :)
I love the number of pet owners on here who realized their pets needed better and found a good, responsible, new home for them.
It is a better outcome than it could be, but the problem is they shouldn't have been taken from the wild in the first place. It's incredibly sad and selfish. :(
Load More Replies...I agree with Daria B the models are almost the 'highlight' of the image and are more 'main' than the actual animal, however, I still think it it is for a brilliant cause and just because the models star a bit more doesn't detract from the importance and the symbolism the animals create and are,
The animals + these models(owners?) are damn good. And we all like to see an another list from them.
Great story and beautiful animals...but the freakishly overdressed and over-made-up women seem painfully and distractingly out of place. Very weird photos.
MUCH more widespread advertising NEEDS to be done regarding this issue. The average person has NO idea what perpetuating the black market sales of wild animals causes! Because there ARE so many people willing to not only purchase, but pay an exorbitant amount of money for these animals poor people living in those countries, of course, see it as an easy way to make a living. Much work NEEDS to be done to show everybody what happens when these animals are taken and sold. The conditions in which they are transported are dreadful and indeed DEADLY to many of those packed into tiny transportable cages. MANY, many animals die during transport. Additionally, the poachers, of course are going after the young! The mothers of these animals fight to the death to try to keep them safe! In many cases in fact, most of the family group will try to intercede to protect the baby! The poachers kill them ALL! Just to nab ONE baby to sell! If the average person knew how many animals died...
I agree but this is not what this photo shoot is about
Load More Replies...It's amazing how many animals turn up in the Black market. They are mistreated and taken from the wild, which drains their wild populations. It's an industry for billions with millions of living beings. If you have a heart, never let this business prosper, don't buy exotic animals or any souvenirs with animal or plant origins from unknown source.
I think the opening statement is a little bit of a misleading, as only a few are black market. Some are from the film industry, some where given to the shelter. Should say something about the shelter more and the work they do to educate. Not make it sound so dramatic.
What are the women doing in these pics?? I don't care what the headline of this project is, the pictures by themselves are just as exploitational like the regular 'Tourist with tortured tiger cub' pictures (albeit better styled)
Wonder what those overdressed and over-make-uped women are for. They certainly don't make the pictures any nicer...
I disagree. They have been dressed to look like an extravagant, personified version of the animal. Very beautiful indeed, adding a touch of interest and whimsy to the pictures. If there were no beautifully dressed and designed people, the animals actually wouldn't stand out as much, or they would be viewed as "cute" instead of powerful and rescued.
Load More Replies...cont...just so they could selfishly own a wild animal, maybe they would not purchase one! The ugly story of black market wild animals needs to be shown to the public! They NEED to see the ugliness, torture and death it perpetuates!
Ah I hit send too fast. But if this were really about the beauty of black market animals then why are the animals just a prop in these photos for outrageous overdressed models? I was hoping for pictures of exotic animals looking happy in a natural environment but instead I got costumes with a hint of animals and even some were hardly visible. Come on man, this article sucks.
Load More Replies...Sadly, the photographer feels that only women are capable of being "models wearing colour-coordinated outfits, fronting nature-inspired backdrops." Purely sexist.
Would you say the same if it were all men, should men start wearing womens clothing etc. Just because the photographer thought women should mainly dominate the photo shoot does not mean he is sexist
Load More Replies...