“Allowed To Grow Old:” Photographer Captures Rescue Animals Who Escaped Slaughterhouses Or Farms (15 Pics) Interview With Artist
Photographer Isa Leshko got terrified of growing old after caring for her mother with Alzheimer's. However, she found a way to face her fear. Leshko started photographing rescued farm animals. Turkeys, pigs, horses, pretty much any critter you can think of who escaped the slaughterhouse or some other grim place.
After nearly a decade of working on the photo series, Leshko has released a wonderful book Allowed to Grow Old: Portraits of Elderly Animals from Farm Sanctuaries and began shifting her approach to the series from dealing with anxiety to activism. The photographer now uses her animal portraits as a way to speak on behalf of these and other abandoned animals.
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Leshko approached these black and white photos as fine-art portraits. "In order for an image to appear in my book it couldn't be simply a beautiful photo of a cow or a pig; it had to be a portrait of Bessie or Teresa," she said. "I selected images that revealed something unique about that animal or conveyed emotion. I wanted to viewers of these images to recognize that these adorable animals are sentient beings who think and feel and who want to grow old in comfort, just like we do."
"I think most photography doesn't fall neatly into one box or the other. There are documentary components to the work: in my book I include details about each animal's life before they were rescued. I also included lengthier biographical stories about a handful of animals. But I made creative choices in post-production that I would not have made if these images were documentary photographs. For example, if a background was distracting, I darkened it, or if an animal had straw running along her face in a manner that I think was distracting I removed it. I would never have done this if I viewed the work as a documentary project. I identify primarily as an artist and then as an activist."
The photographer said that farm animals don't behave uniformly. "Like the dogs and cats we share our homes with, these animals have distinct personalities. Some are very outgoing and affectionate, others are shy and reserved."
Many of the animals Leshko met for her project were rescued from horrific situations involving abuse and neglect. "These animals are trauma survivors, and some are understandably wary of new people. For these animals, in particular, I spent a lot of time with them before even taking a single photo. I often spent days with a single animal to develop a rapport with him. I wanted the animals I photographed to be as relaxed as possible so I could depict their true personalities."
Leshko also didn't want to be in these pictures. She wasn't interested in capturing the animals reacting to her presence. "I wanted to be as invisible as possible so I could observe them behaving naturally and comfortably. If any animal seemed really uncomfortable with me, I would not photograph them. Although animals cannot provide verbal consent to being photographed, they are excellent at communicating when they wish to be left alone."
Also, these photos were not posed. Leshko followed the animals wherever they went. It was important to her that the animals felt in control of the situation and that she photographed them on their terms and not her own. "For this reason, I worked with natural light and did not use any artificial lighting that might be disruptive to the animals. I also photographed the animals at eye-level because I wanted viewers of my images to gaze directly into their eyes. This meant spending hours contorting my body in odd positions while lying in mud and animal scat."
Violet, Potbellied Pig, Age 12
After only a few animal shelter visits, Leshko could no longer see a difference between the farm animals she met and the dogs and cats she has known. She even included in her book a handful of portraits of elderly dogs to exemplify this point and to raise questions about why we pamper some animals and slaughter others.
"When reflecting upon the way farmed animals are treated, ask yourself whether you would feel comfortable if dogs or cats were treated the same way. (Note that I do recognize that in some cultures, dogs and cats are treated this way, and the Western revulsion to this treatment illustrates the irrational way in which we categorize some animals as pets and others as food and others as pests.)"
"Nearly all of the farm animals I met for this project endured horrific abuse and neglect prior to their rescue. Yet it is a massive understatement to say that they are the lucky ones," the photographer added. "Roughly fifty to seventy billion land animals are factory farmed globally each year. It is nothing short of a miracle to be in the presence of a farm animal who has managed to reach old age. Most of their kin die before they are six months old. By depicting the beauty and dignity of elderly farm animals, I invite reflection upon what is lost when these animals are not allowed to grow old."
Bumper, Mixed Breed Dog, Age 17
Phyllis, Southdown Sheep, Age 13
I've got two pet sheep, both in lamb, and I can't wait to have them live with us for years and years like a dog or a cat. One person was shocked when we said they were nearly 2 and asked how they were "so old?!" because he thought that sheep died at a year/ 18 months and were either lamb meat or mutton. He never thought that actually, they are only slaughtered that age and live an awful lot longer.
Ash, Domestic White Turkey, Age 8
After I learned that cows have best friends and weep when they are separated from them i stopped eating them. That was 27 years ago. Then I learned that pigs can meet another animal once - say another pig -- not see that pig for 10 years and when they see each other again they remember meeting! So I stopped eating them too...that was also 27 years ago. Then I saw this video of a turkey running up to a man and "hugging" him hello and I thought..well shit...and stopped eating poultry 8 years ago. To be fair the poultry was the hardest but thanks to so many tasty vegan "meats" on the market it has never been a problem not partaking in eating animals. I think if folks took stock in what they actually ate on a weekly/monthly basis they would realize that they don't eat as much meat as they think they do and if they love stories like this would do simple steps like cutting back on their meat consumption. But hey...each to their own!
Have you seen videos of the dairy and egg industry? I consider the dairy industry just as bad as the beef or veal industry. The cows are not only slaughtered at the end of their lives, they are also forcibly impregnated and then have their babies stolen from them (the mothers cry out for days searching for them).
Plus watching videos like "What the Health" and "Cowspiracy" helps....
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This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I sincerely love to eat meat and I eat vegan products too, I often think about all the animals killed every day for people and I wonder if we can do something to cut the meat consumption and for the beasts. I think that we need sustainable farms, who let animals live at peace and kill them in the best way, without make them suffer, when the time come. Plus we should go back to the old recipes and try our best to eat every part of the animal, they're tasty I assure you, people need only to get used to them again.
I am glad you do care about the animals. If only more people saw the value of an animal life, then they wouldn't eat meat every friggin' day.
For all those who were just moved by seeing these pictures, think about how these were the animals who were SAVED. Most farm animals never get the chance to grow old, they are slaughtered as soon as they are full-grown and sometimes even earlier. Remember Violet and Teresa next time you eat pork, Ash and Marino when you eat a turkey.
That's true, but it's also true that the vast majority of farm animals are only bred to be eaten. Without people wanting to eat them they would not get to live at all. There are lots of rare or completely vanished breeds of animals because we stopped eating them. Intensively reared meat is awful, but there is an ethical way to eat meat. Choose only meat with high welfare standards, ideally from rare breed animals and farmed locally. You can be responsible for preserving rare breed animals, promoting good farming practices and for an animal living a short, but happy, life. Choose high welfare meat.
(...2) Have a read of this article from a humane pig farmer for some genuine insight into just one issue that complicates the whole idea of humane slaughter: https://www.thedodo.com/the-last-pig-459704635.html True, the vast majority of farm animals wouldn't exist if it weren't for the meat industry, but neither would equivalent wild species ever come close to such numbers in a sustainable ecosystem. Consider this remarkable graphic: https://xkcd.com/1338/ The sheer environmental impact alone of such massive-scale farming and slaughter is monumental, and utterly unsustainable in the long run. There is absolutely NO way to feed meat to more than a tiny fraction of the humans currently living on Earth by "ethical" farming/slaughter... it's only feasible by modern intensive factory farming methods.
(...3) Ultimately, the vegan suggestion isn't that we should just stop all this overnight, clearly that's impossible, and would only burden the world with the support of billions of extra beings to care for into old age. But the entire current populations of billions will be dead to factory farming within a year or two at normal rates... how about we just stop creating more, just so they can live out pathetically short lives, almost invariably in horrendous conditions? Yes, having created all these domesicated "breeds", it might be argued that it is encumbent upon us to protect an ecologically sensible number of them from extinction in sanctuaries. There's no reason this needs to be associated with the meat industry. We protect Pandas and Elephants without the need to farm and eat them.
I think there's still a lot to consider/discuss regarding your points here. On the idea of rare "breeds" - the clue is surely in the name. These are domesicated branches of a long-ago-wild species which *we* have created, artificially, over hundreds/thousands of years... they're invariably selectively bred to have "productive" characteristics, such as painfully fast growth, and that often brings a variety of health complications. These aren't necessarily traits that it's particularly humane to perpetuate. We're not talking about stopping a naturally occuring endangered species from going extinct here. It's also endlessly debatable whether there's even any such thing as an "ethical" way to eat meat. The whole notion smacks of people wanting to reassure themselves of their moral superiority, while maintaining the convenience/luxury of being able to eat whatever they feel like. (...)
How do I find high welfare meat? Honestly, I want to know.
not get to live at all? you cant be serious? do you have any idea how the industry works? they are bred into existence just to be on the kill floor within months,except for females who are continuously raped,have their babies taken from them.these pictures>Look into their eyes ..traumatized animals...they have gone through hell....farm animals are often genetically modified to grow,they stand in their own excrement all day, they are pumped full of antibiotics so they don’t get sick & die. is this the living you speak of?most breeds that are nearly extinct are not because of they were ever on our plates..but due to hunting,poaching & fur/leather industry. All beings tremble before violence. All love life. All fear death. See yourself in others.We are currently growing enough food on earth to feed 10 billion people…but it goes to agriculture-the animals that live in cemented prisons,that dont see the light of day... NO ETHICAL WAY to murder-if so kill the animal yourself,would you?
Very well put, Ruth
2/ prate on about how eating meat is barbaric as if they are vastly superior to their place in the ecosystem. So is urbanisation and an obscene reliance on tech and a general divorce from the natural world. We have lost so much natural world to urbanisation, transportation, throwaway fashion, tech and monoculture cropping, it's abysmal. This is not about blood thirsty meat eaters relishing slaughter, this is about people understanding how to be truly sustainable. The loss of grazing herbivores to our natural landscape has been a disaster. Intensive farming and feedlots are a disaster and not a substitute. The kind of farming Ruth and I are talking about IS a step in the right direction. Don't forget, many parts of the world have land abundant on pasture, which is built upon, or artificially nitrified to grow crops. It should be supporting grazing animals and an abundance of wildlife.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
@Dan W. Anyone who spends the extra money and effort to eat local ly produced and high welfare animal products, has already thought deeply about the points you make and understands them well. They already remove support for intensive farming and feedlotting. I'm a lifelong vegetarian, who is seriously considering starting to eat meat. A vegan diet require's monoculture, chemicals and high carbon output. Yes you read that right. Monoculture farming only takes from the earth. Holistic and regenerative (please note, they incr Ase productivity, they are well able to support the world, but not without drastic changes to how we spend money and to the unsustainable expectation of uber convenience that has infected the developed world ) gives back. If you have a small scale farm, diverse with animals and plants, using holistic methods, your consumption is cyclical. Carbon, mineral, nutrient and water cycling are all present. As is supporting a balanced ecosystem. It irritates me when humans
This makes me want to be a vegan
Go for it!
Thanks! I actually went to the store yesterday and bought some vegan hotdogs as well as Oreos because those are vegan too.
Hope the hot dogs were halfway enjoyable... Bear in mind that you have endless possibilities on a vegan diet. If you go for it, you will discover tons of interesting food. Some things will be awesome, some will not quite fit your taste, some will only be purchased once. I recommend lots of "natural" foods like lentils, beans, quinoa, buckwheat and other grains, veggies and plenty of nuts and seeds. If you don't like healthy food, I can recommand the youtube channel "The Easy Vegan". Wish you all the best! And tough respect!
After I learned that cows have best friends and weep when they are separated from them i stopped eating them. That was 27 years ago. Then I learned that pigs can meet another animal once - say another pig -- not see that pig for 10 years and when they see each other again they remember meeting! So I stopped eating them too...that was also 27 years ago. Then I saw this video of a turkey running up to a man and "hugging" him hello and I thought..well shit...and stopped eating poultry 8 years ago. To be fair the poultry was the hardest but thanks to so many tasty vegan "meats" on the market it has never been a problem not partaking in eating animals. I think if folks took stock in what they actually ate on a weekly/monthly basis they would realize that they don't eat as much meat as they think they do and if they love stories like this would do simple steps like cutting back on their meat consumption. But hey...each to their own!
Have you seen videos of the dairy and egg industry? I consider the dairy industry just as bad as the beef or veal industry. The cows are not only slaughtered at the end of their lives, they are also forcibly impregnated and then have their babies stolen from them (the mothers cry out for days searching for them).
Plus watching videos like "What the Health" and "Cowspiracy" helps....
This comment has been deleted.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I sincerely love to eat meat and I eat vegan products too, I often think about all the animals killed every day for people and I wonder if we can do something to cut the meat consumption and for the beasts. I think that we need sustainable farms, who let animals live at peace and kill them in the best way, without make them suffer, when the time come. Plus we should go back to the old recipes and try our best to eat every part of the animal, they're tasty I assure you, people need only to get used to them again.
I am glad you do care about the animals. If only more people saw the value of an animal life, then they wouldn't eat meat every friggin' day.
For all those who were just moved by seeing these pictures, think about how these were the animals who were SAVED. Most farm animals never get the chance to grow old, they are slaughtered as soon as they are full-grown and sometimes even earlier. Remember Violet and Teresa next time you eat pork, Ash and Marino when you eat a turkey.
That's true, but it's also true that the vast majority of farm animals are only bred to be eaten. Without people wanting to eat them they would not get to live at all. There are lots of rare or completely vanished breeds of animals because we stopped eating them. Intensively reared meat is awful, but there is an ethical way to eat meat. Choose only meat with high welfare standards, ideally from rare breed animals and farmed locally. You can be responsible for preserving rare breed animals, promoting good farming practices and for an animal living a short, but happy, life. Choose high welfare meat.
(...2) Have a read of this article from a humane pig farmer for some genuine insight into just one issue that complicates the whole idea of humane slaughter: https://www.thedodo.com/the-last-pig-459704635.html True, the vast majority of farm animals wouldn't exist if it weren't for the meat industry, but neither would equivalent wild species ever come close to such numbers in a sustainable ecosystem. Consider this remarkable graphic: https://xkcd.com/1338/ The sheer environmental impact alone of such massive-scale farming and slaughter is monumental, and utterly unsustainable in the long run. There is absolutely NO way to feed meat to more than a tiny fraction of the humans currently living on Earth by "ethical" farming/slaughter... it's only feasible by modern intensive factory farming methods.
(...3) Ultimately, the vegan suggestion isn't that we should just stop all this overnight, clearly that's impossible, and would only burden the world with the support of billions of extra beings to care for into old age. But the entire current populations of billions will be dead to factory farming within a year or two at normal rates... how about we just stop creating more, just so they can live out pathetically short lives, almost invariably in horrendous conditions? Yes, having created all these domesicated "breeds", it might be argued that it is encumbent upon us to protect an ecologically sensible number of them from extinction in sanctuaries. There's no reason this needs to be associated with the meat industry. We protect Pandas and Elephants without the need to farm and eat them.
I think there's still a lot to consider/discuss regarding your points here. On the idea of rare "breeds" - the clue is surely in the name. These are domesicated branches of a long-ago-wild species which *we* have created, artificially, over hundreds/thousands of years... they're invariably selectively bred to have "productive" characteristics, such as painfully fast growth, and that often brings a variety of health complications. These aren't necessarily traits that it's particularly humane to perpetuate. We're not talking about stopping a naturally occuring endangered species from going extinct here. It's also endlessly debatable whether there's even any such thing as an "ethical" way to eat meat. The whole notion smacks of people wanting to reassure themselves of their moral superiority, while maintaining the convenience/luxury of being able to eat whatever they feel like. (...)
How do I find high welfare meat? Honestly, I want to know.
not get to live at all? you cant be serious? do you have any idea how the industry works? they are bred into existence just to be on the kill floor within months,except for females who are continuously raped,have their babies taken from them.these pictures>Look into their eyes ..traumatized animals...they have gone through hell....farm animals are often genetically modified to grow,they stand in their own excrement all day, they are pumped full of antibiotics so they don’t get sick & die. is this the living you speak of?most breeds that are nearly extinct are not because of they were ever on our plates..but due to hunting,poaching & fur/leather industry. All beings tremble before violence. All love life. All fear death. See yourself in others.We are currently growing enough food on earth to feed 10 billion people…but it goes to agriculture-the animals that live in cemented prisons,that dont see the light of day... NO ETHICAL WAY to murder-if so kill the animal yourself,would you?
Very well put, Ruth
2/ prate on about how eating meat is barbaric as if they are vastly superior to their place in the ecosystem. So is urbanisation and an obscene reliance on tech and a general divorce from the natural world. We have lost so much natural world to urbanisation, transportation, throwaway fashion, tech and monoculture cropping, it's abysmal. This is not about blood thirsty meat eaters relishing slaughter, this is about people understanding how to be truly sustainable. The loss of grazing herbivores to our natural landscape has been a disaster. Intensive farming and feedlots are a disaster and not a substitute. The kind of farming Ruth and I are talking about IS a step in the right direction. Don't forget, many parts of the world have land abundant on pasture, which is built upon, or artificially nitrified to grow crops. It should be supporting grazing animals and an abundance of wildlife.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
@Dan W. Anyone who spends the extra money and effort to eat local ly produced and high welfare animal products, has already thought deeply about the points you make and understands them well. They already remove support for intensive farming and feedlotting. I'm a lifelong vegetarian, who is seriously considering starting to eat meat. A vegan diet require's monoculture, chemicals and high carbon output. Yes you read that right. Monoculture farming only takes from the earth. Holistic and regenerative (please note, they incr Ase productivity, they are well able to support the world, but not without drastic changes to how we spend money and to the unsustainable expectation of uber convenience that has infected the developed world ) gives back. If you have a small scale farm, diverse with animals and plants, using holistic methods, your consumption is cyclical. Carbon, mineral, nutrient and water cycling are all present. As is supporting a balanced ecosystem. It irritates me when humans
This makes me want to be a vegan
Go for it!
Thanks! I actually went to the store yesterday and bought some vegan hotdogs as well as Oreos because those are vegan too.
Hope the hot dogs were halfway enjoyable... Bear in mind that you have endless possibilities on a vegan diet. If you go for it, you will discover tons of interesting food. Some things will be awesome, some will not quite fit your taste, some will only be purchased once. I recommend lots of "natural" foods like lentils, beans, quinoa, buckwheat and other grains, veggies and plenty of nuts and seeds. If you don't like healthy food, I can recommand the youtube channel "The Easy Vegan". Wish you all the best! And tough respect!