Not A Pretty Picture - a photo on Flickriver

Not A Pretty Picture

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As much as I wanted to post a nice scenic shot from my dive today in Carmel, I felt compelled to share a rather gruesome, yet sad shot of a suffering California Sea Lion. On the drive home from the dive, we stopped in Moss Landing because I wanted to shoot the sea lions that haul out on the dock north of town. The mid day light was a bit harsh and I didn't really think I was going to get any of those "cute" shots I had hoped for. And I didn't.

As a nature photographer, I first and foremost enjoy capturing images of nature and sharing them. Not unlike many of you, I hope that these images of nature will help people appreciate the beauty of our world. And maybe these images we share will help strengthen our love for the environment and all its inhabitants. But sometimes we need to be slapped in the face with the harsh reality that this beauty is fragile and is genuinely affected by our actions.

It truly saddens me to see an animal suffering like this poor sea lion. Just looking at its wounds, one can tell it has been suffering for some time now. And because of what? Trash. Simply trash.

I want to rant and rave, get up on my soap box and maybe I am already. But sometimes I feel we are heading down a dark road. Even in the most pristine environments, trash invades and destroys.

We can all do more to help, myself included. We are all stewards of our blue-green earth. Let us all do more to protect it. End rant.

As a side note, I did report this sea lion to the good folks at the Marine Mammal Center in Moss Landing. I uploaded this image through their website and due to their proximity, I hope they can be of help.

Taken on: February 1, 2009

Tags:

Marine Mammal Center

Moss Landing

marine mammal

pinniped

California sea lion

sea lion

Zalophus californianus

conservation

distress

wounded

wound

suffer

suffering

injured

stewards

fishing line

fishing net

Jim Patterson Photography

Inspired by LOVE

AnimalPlanet

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Groups appears in: • VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS: A Prayer for Wild Things • Moss Landing more » • Nikon D300 Users • soulful journey • Sleek n Shiny • a new world • sad world « less

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