Ask photographers to stop using wildlife for bogus photography

Have you ever been impressed by the depiction of a wild animal in nature? Well, it might not have been as impressive as it seemed. Many photographers take these images from hunting farms – brutal businesses that rent animals for staged wildlife photography sessions.

One such company, Minnesota Wildlife Connection, run by Lee Greenlee, has operated illegally for years and has a long history of violating federal animal and wildlife laws. Greenlee was convicted of falsifying the tapes after claiming that a bear named Cubby, whom he arranged for a country music singer to stab him in a confined space with a bow and arrow, was a legally wanted wild animal. Subsequently, his license was revoked, but this did not stop him from continuing to illegally exhibit animals.

Popular Netflix Series King of tigers looked into the wildlife trade and showed how these animals are used for human profit, and hunting farms like the Minnesota Wildlife Connection are part of this cruel cycle. Animals in these institutions are reported to be kept chained or in cramped, sterile cages and appear to be deprived of food and sometimes even forced to act under threat of electric shock. Many species of animals are at risk, including bears, cougars and wolves, the latter of which mate for life and live in close-knit family units. Treating wildlife as props is a form of arrogance, a worldview focused on human excellence.

Play farms are prisons for animals that are bred and used for fake photo shoots. The perfect shot isn’t worth the suffering of any animal. Please ask these photographers to stop using animals on hunting farms.