Barcelona photographer Oscar Ciutat took these photos of caged animals. “It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul," he explains. "I took a series of trips to the local zoo to photograph the eyes of animals held in captivity. I was intrigued by whether the lack of freedom would be apparent in the images." Aren't they haunting?(Via The Lil Bee)
* Blogger deleted this post during their service outage, and I'm not sure if it will be restored, so I'm reposting.
So very moving, sad, empty
ReplyDeletei know, i'd be curious to see photos of animals eyes in the wild, to compare.
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. Whenever I go to the zoo I always think to myself, "They can't be happy." I understand when they do it to help preserve a species, but the animal being held doesn't understand that. I guess, one must suffer to preserve the whole.
ReplyDeleteps. did you ever read The Life of Pi? he talked about zoo animals but in a positive way...
ReplyDeleteI used to love the zoo and the circus when I was a kid. I went to the zoo a few years ago to take photos of the new flamingos. I remember thinking how depressed all the animals looked. Especially the elephants. They didn't play, didn't wander. Just stood there, possibly wishing they could escape. :( poor things.
ReplyDeletevery sad. I have noticed a big difference in the animals depending on the type of zoo. I went to a huge zoo in Prague and each exhibit was super open and made like the natural habit that the particular animal would have. the animals were so much more active and playful. It was really cool to see.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad.
ReplyDeletethe elephant look really sad
ReplyDeletehttp://girlynote.blogspot.com
the hippo has old man eyebrows!
ReplyDeleteThese photos are really moving.
Joanna, I was thinking the same thing about comparing the eyes with those of animals in the wild. Are we seeing sadness in those eyes because that's what we're told is there and expect to see it? Hard to know without a comparison. Probably harder to capture a photo of an eyeball on a wild animal though :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, Life of Pi is one of my all-time Favorite books. I love love love Yann Martel. Have you read his latest, Beatrice and Virgil? I didn't think it was quite up to Life of Pi, but still wonderful and beautiful in its own right.
I found these incredibly haunting - it's amazing how much sadness they convey with their eyes. I was curious to see the rest of Oscar's portfolio, and highly recommend the "Arrivals/Departures" series - they actually reminded me a lot of Michael Neff's work (who I first learned of here!) - the excitement and sadness that comes from travel.
ReplyDeleteBecca
This absolutely breaks my heart. I was fortunate enough to spend some time in Africa, on land where the animals were free to roam and live their lives how they wanted to, on land where hunters and poachers were not allowed. In contrast to animals in cages, there was so much life in these and it is so sad that so many beautiful creatures have to unwillingly live their lives as entertainment for people. It really makes me so angry. Of course, in some circumstances the animals may have been rescued from even worse conditions, but on the whole I generally avoid going to zoos because I don't want to support it.
ReplyDeleteSad :( Life of Pi was amazing, even though I cried. I have a huge soft spot for animals.
ReplyDeleteThose photos are so disheartening. I love visiting zoos in principle, but whenever I go I'm astounded by how morose the creatures appear. This photo project definitely make me want to go free all the sweet critters!
ReplyDeleteThis just breaks my heart ,Zoos can be so depressing.I am just fine with watching wild animals on the Tv in their natural habitats.I mean with the amazing quality of today's Tvs it's like you are right there in the wild.I understand the need for sanctuaries and all ,but I do not enjoy taking my little ones to the Zoo.Make sure to watch "Born in to the wild", NOW they were happy elephants and orangutans ,amazing story of 2 amazing women.My kids loved it
ReplyDeletethat is so sad. i always wondered if they know the life they're missing by being boxed up. it seems as if it'd be at least a little bit happier if you don't know what you're missing.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought the zoo was just a little bit depressing.
ReplyDeleteAn animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language. ~Martin Buber
ReplyDeleteUgh. That hurts my heart :(
ReplyDeleteThese photos very much remind me of the poem "The Panther" by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke: http://www.artofeurope.com/rilke/ril9.htm
ReplyDeletethis is really sad. hard because i'm sure there are some great zoo workers out there who do really good things for animals that need help, but i can't help feeling anti-zoo and anti-circus, especially after seeing these poor guys. :(
ReplyDeletethis makes me sad! i really dislike zoos. always turned off by how the animals are kept.
ReplyDeleteThey all seem to be looking downwards.
ReplyDeleteThe zoo of Barcelona is a shame I live in Barcelona, It's my city and I love it but I wish the close it.
ReplyDeleteThe government has been making promises for more than 6 years menwhile the animals suffer.
I'f you don't mind join this group to support this initiative
https://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_213986591949674
I love visiting the zoo but always end up feeling bad about the caged animals. It's so sad, they could at least rotate and let them leave out in their natural environment for a while
ReplyDeleterachel, that's fascinating. i'm sure it depends on the zoo, for sure. xo
ReplyDeleteOh Gosh, So Sad, in the age of the internet and the wealth of images it provides do we really need to hold these creatures in captivity? Thought provoking post, Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJoanna, what kind of camera do you own? The pictures you took of Toby in the park last week were so beautiful and clear.
ReplyDeleteso sad. This post just made me cry.
ReplyDeleteI'm not even what you would call and "animal lover" and zoos make me sad.
ReplyDeleteI worked at a zoo for almost five years. I can tell you how much effort is put in every day, so that every animal is provided with, as closely as possible, the same habitat, diets, group dynamics, etc, that they would find in their natural habitats. Zoos aren't perfect, and some are absolutely better than others, most of the time unfortunately because of funding. There is a big push currently (which I've seen first hand with renovations to exhibits) for zoos to move towards more naturalistic enclosures, but that takes time and money, which some zoos simply don't have the funding for. However, the breeding programs and educational outreaches that zoos have make them an invaluable conservation tool. Not only are they bringing back species that would otherwise become extinct ( the Red Wolf, Peregrine Falcon, and California Condor are all prime examples), but they also have breeding programs that preserve the genetic diversity in wild animals, giving them a better chance to survive. Educational outreaches (which I did at the zoo) serve to let the general public know what is going on at a zoo and see animals up close that they would never get to see in the wild. This in turn brings funding back to zoos to go towards breeding programs and renovations
ReplyDeleteOf course I felt guilty working at zoos. Some days I would just look an animal in the eye, and wish they could be flying free. But the reality is, even in Africa, a lot of these animals are restricted to game preserves. And elephants and the circus industry are a whole other issue.
If anyone is interested, I would recommend reading Zoo Story, by Thomas French. It's a great book that has a very realistic look at zoos, both the positive and negative aspects.
Sorry I went on a tangent, zoos and wildlife conservation is my passion.
Poor animals!!! Looking at those photos just makes me so very sad. Now Im going to take my dogs for a long walk and give them some extra love. Kisses:)
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely.
ReplyDeleteI know, this is why I don't support zoos (or the circus). Zoos may have originally been established for a good reason, but over time one cannot control how well zookeepers and other staff will treat the animals. Some people are so cruel and abusive. Furthermore, these animals deserve to be in their natural environment.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post, I know so many people who think nothing of going to the zoo and it's infuriating to me. And circus'...don't even get me started there!
aw, that is heartbreakingly beautiful. buying these.
ReplyDeleteThis breaks my heart. BREAKS. le sigh.
ReplyDeletexo
This is a perfect summation of why I don't like zoos.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate that modern zoos focus on rehabilitating injured animals and preserving endangered species. But that doesn't change the fact that a caged animal is one of the saddest things there is.
I think zoo elephants must be unhappy outside their natural habitat, but at least, hopefully, they are not mistreated. My daughter has volunteered at elephant sanctuaries in Thailand, and experienced the emotional healing of severely abused pachyderms....Katherine Connor's BLES, for instance, has rescued many animals from the most distressing situations, and they are now clearly happy, doing what they were meant to do, with space and freedom. Read Wassana's story:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blesele.org/what_we_do/sanctuary_elephants/wassana and then watch her sing in this video. Can you imagine how happy she must be?
I wonder why the photographer thought there was any chance that their captivity *wouldn't* be apparent in the pictures!
ReplyDeletewow, they look so sad! I am anti-zoo. I know that they do some good for animals by keeping them from becoming extinct.. but it just doesn't seem right.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I din't link the Wassana viseo (all half a minute of it!):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2EYkkvykk4
This breaks my heart. :(
ReplyDeletealexa
Wow, this makes me really sad. Beautiful concept though.
ReplyDeleteThe eyes are so sad! I wonder how much differently the eyes would look in the wild.
ReplyDeleteit's so sad when animals are locked up whether it's at the zoo or the pound. poor little fellas. it's amazing how true that statement is--eyes are the window to the soul. it's been said for years and it couldn't be more true.
ReplyDeletewe should make a plan and help them escape.....
Oh c'mon. You can make any subject look sad if you shoot them looking down and away from the lens.
ReplyDeleteps: come check out my blog of the giant sea turtles we have here. i just got some killer shots of their own eyes :) click on "animal" on the left tabs and it will bring up more, but i need to put up more pictures i just took.
ReplyDeletevery sad, but I still go to the zoo every year, because as much as I wish the animals were free, I'd rather give money to the zoo to take care of them, since my not going is not going to have an affect on whether or not the zoo stays open. You can be anti-zoo, but if you aren't protesting the zoos and trying to get them closed, then you're actually doing more damage to the animals by not supporting them.
ReplyDeleteomg so sad!
ReplyDeleteThey don't particularly seem sad. They look exactly as they are - animals shot close up when nothing particularly interesting is happening...wild or captive. I appreciate the idea of the project, but zoos get a lot of unnecessary heat often based solely on anthropomorphizing. I used to work at a zoo and, while there are definitely some zoos that need improvements, there are plenty that are doing awesome enrichment for their animals! Also, as someone mentioned above, zoos are so important to conservation efforts!
ReplyDeleteI thought of Life of Pi, too. He wrote of the zoo like it was the place to be... hmm?
ReplyDeleteheartbreaking. simply heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteVery moving and very sad...
ReplyDeleteGreat photos though.
Interesting to read all the comments about how sad and depressed they look, think it would have been very interesting to see how different the comments might have been Joanna if you had posted these without the accompanying text. I think the angle of the shots, as pointed out by someone else, and the context given by the explanation are what really makes us read sadness in these beautiful images and I think they may have been read very differently if this context was not placed on them.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying that the animals are all fine and the zoo is the best place for them but I think we are often too quick to read what we are told to in imagery.
Sigh.
ReplyDeleteso many fascinating comments here -- i know, it would be really interesting to see what animals' eyes look like when they're out in nature. maybe they'd look the same? maybe they're just sleepy? :) would be great to do a comparison.
ReplyDeletealso, i loved your points about zoos, flossie and christina!
thanks for these insightful comments. i love my readers :)
joannaxoxo
this breaks my heart and hurts my soul. I cant stand zoos or places like sea world. although I see the value in learning from the animals, and building a relationship. mostly it just makes me sick.
ReplyDeletethere is a movie called "The Cove" I highly recommend, but I will warn you is just soo sad to watch. Sometimes I am so sad at the human race for the way we treat animals, and the earth. ugh.
thank you for posting these!
Hi, I'm from Barcelona, and our zoo is quite sad... poor animals, I've been in Berlin's one, and they seem much happier. Nice job for Oscar!
ReplyDeleteWow. That's sad. I love taking my daughter to the zoo. I hope the animals at the Chicago Lincoln Park Zoo aren't as depressed (more like I naively want to believe they aren't)
ReplyDeleteThey look SO sad :-(
ReplyDeleteI was actually just looking at some footage of zoo animals and I did think that they looked so sad. I love seeing these beautiful animals but I don't tend to visit zoos because I don't like to see them in cages.
ReplyDeleteThey are really powerful. In a way the photographer is giving them a voice. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteMy dad used to tell me, "Look at people in the eye, then you'll see who they are.. Don't ever become someone who has an eye of dead fish.."
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the photos, I couldn't stop thinking the same.. Their souls being taken away, not being able to live freely.. But then, do they know better? It's really heartbreaking...
I wish zoo's would become just places for research and education, not a place to keep animals that are supposed to be free. These photos are really good. And really sad.
ReplyDeleteVery intense! But some capturing.
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It would be great to have a wild and zoo animal eye comparison. Love these.
ReplyDeleteSaddest thing is a caged animal or bird. God bless them all.
ReplyDelete:(
ReplyDeleteyes, but now we need a comparison... are my dogs and cats (and horses!) captive also? and are wild animals that much happier, riddled with disease and hunger? just playing devil's advocate :) because regardless, i love the "eye of the animal" project idea!
ReplyDeleteI live in Barcelona too and I've been to this zoo a few times. It's really sad to see those animals in cages...wish we could see them free :)
ReplyDeleteheart breaking :((
ReplyDeleteThe eyes speak volumes don't they? Poor creatures....makes you want to give them a hug or something.
ReplyDeleteC.
Are they trained for performances? How sadddd :(
ReplyDeleteThis gave me chills. I too have been taking photographs of eyes lately. When you make eye contact you begin to share something with another soul.
ReplyDeleteWow beautifull! I follow you X http://merel-fleur.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteClever photography.
ReplyDeleteDon't they appear to have sad eyes, then again, I suppose my eyes look sad taken from that angle. Whilst I have never been to the zoo in Barcelona, I am sure the animals are cared for well and conforms to EU standards...
Sometimes an animals lack of freedom is due to the fact that it would not survive in the wild, for whatever reason :( sad as that sounds sometimes it is unfortunately true.
No matter what anyone says to the contrary any living creature wants to be free, just like us humans. These photos are very sad to me & also very insightful. I love all animals and it doesn't seem fair to me for them to be out of their own native habitat. If zoos are necessary they should all be huge facilities, with lots of money, so that the animals have natural environments. Great post, J.
ReplyDeleteWe just visited the San Diego zoo and was so taken aback by how stressed some of the large animals appears. The polar bear 'cage' was so tiny and they were doing repetitive behavior that did not look normal. Rocking back and forth, moving their head in circles for 20 minutes. I'm no vet but that does not seem good.
ReplyDeletebeautiful and sad. and true.
ReplyDeleteI just watched Water for Elephants last night and now seeing this post I feel really sad :(
ReplyDeleteCaptive animals are incredibly sad. I have not supported them since I read Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey in which she detailed the utter devastation caused by zoos when they capture animals. Support animal sanctuaries (such as Farm Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY) instead. The difference in their eyes is apparent! Animals exist for their own purposes and should not be here for our amusement or entertainment.
ReplyDeleteIf these animals had been in the wild, they would have probably been dead by now. Their life is very short in the wild.
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The author is absolutely right, and there is no question.
ReplyDeleteThey look so sad, like there is something missing in their lives besides been on a cage, I just hate zoos for that exactly.
ReplyDelete