Ami Vitale Flash Print Sale Supports Elephant Sanctuary

21 November 2017

In the old days, people hunted animals for food. The weapons were rudimentary, and the fight was a lot fairer. These days, people are bored and they hunt animals for “fun”. The fight is not fair. What’s worse, the outcome, other than a needlessly dead animal, and a trophy head for the games room, is a photo of the killer and the animal for dissemination on social media.

It was a very sad day for elephants recently when the US lifted the ban on importing elephant "trophies" into the country, making already struggling elephant populations more vulnerable than ever. Why they would do such a thing is beyond the comprehension of most people.

© Ami Vitale. In this photo, Mpala takes a plop and a rest among the chaos of the mud hole fun at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary inside the boma in Northern Kenya. These elephants were rescued after being orphaned or abandoned — some due to drought and environmental conditions, some due to poaching. They are under the care of wildlife keepers recruited from the local community, who also lead the sanctuary and the nearby Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. This is the first wild life sanctuary owned and run by the indigenous community in all of Africa.
© Ami Vitale. In this photo, Mpala takes a plop and a rest among the chaos of the mud hole fun at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary inside the boma in Northern Kenya. These elephants were rescued after being orphaned or abandoned — some due to drought and environmental conditions, some due to poaching. They are under the care of wildlife keepers recruited from the local community, who also lead the sanctuary and the nearby Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. This is the first wild life sanctuary owned and run by the indigenous community in all of Africa.

To do her part, National Geographic photographer Ami Vitale has launched a limited edition, fine art flash print sale to support the important work happening at Reteti Elephant Sanctuary as they celebrate their one-year anniversary. What is happening at Reteti, without fanfare, is nothing less than the beginnings of a transformation in the way humans relate to wild animals. This oasis, where orphans grow up, learning to be wild so that one day they can re-join their herds, is as much about people as it is about elephants.

The print

The image will be printed by the fine art studio of Paper & Ink at 12x14 inches (30.5x36 cm) with Epson's Ultrachome HDX archival pigment ink on Canson's PrintMaKing Rag archival paper which is designed to meet museum longevity requirements. Follow the link to order and please add shipping ($25 domestic, $35 international).