Adventures from Behind the Glass

I  recently came across the story of an animal rights organization (Four Paws International) http://www.four-paws.us/ whose relentless efforts  resulted in the closing of the “worst zoo in the world,” saving the last 15 of its 44 surviving inhabitants and rescuing them from their tiny cages

Amur Tiger, 2010

in the war-torn Gaza Strip for re-location to far better places to live out the remainder of their lives http://theatln.tc/2cigT6F

It has also been the long-time goal of the well-known (WWF) World Wildlife Fund http://bit.ly/2creLHa to protect these magnificent creatures. In a common sense pairing that utilizes the influence and (social media) power of celebrities, many organizations bring attention to the overall, and often specific cause(s) of protecting many rare or endangered species. For example, http://www.savetigersnow.org/ combines the power of the WWF and the celebrity of actor and environmentalist Leonardo Dicaprio @LeoDiCaprio. A list of many other celebrity fueled efforts can be found at http://bit.ly/1iucgGh and a few more animal rescue links can be found on this blog.

Of all of the animals I have seen and photographed over the years, I have been most drawn to the Tiger which has always struck me as being particularly regal and spectacularly beautiful. As with many things, it wasn’t until later in life, after I had lost my Dad to the test of time, that I realized his nickname for me growing up had always been…”Tiger.”