[Hawk_Eye]

They will probably try to kill you!
I know this from bitter experience on Rinja Island in the Komodo National Park: Back in 2003, I broke at least 8 Olympic and World sprint records in one day.

I always thought that the advice for a tiger encounter was not to run.......??????

[Dr Bob]

Didn't stop to read that one [:D]

[Pathfinder]

Dr Bob,
Did you miss the first part of this thread, regarding game farms?
Anyway regarding the lens I already have a 500mm Canon prime lens with a 1.4x and 2x teleconverter which covers most situations and a full Danish camouflage kit.Worth noting that your Gillie suit costs about a quarter of what my kit costs. But thanks for the tip. On the same trip I'm also heading up to Jasper.So I'm covering Grand Teton,Yellowstone and Jasper in about 3 weeks.

[cabbage]

I can see both sides of the argument but personally I agree with those above who say that as long as the photographer is honest about it and doesn't try to pass a captive shot of as a wild animal then theres not really a problem with it.

It just seems dishonest to me to try and pass of a photograph of a captive or trained animal as wild as it doesn't acknowledge the hours, weeks, months or even years that a photographer might have to spend tracking down and photographing a genuinely wild animal.

I like to dabble in photography (in a strictly amateur way!) and many of my photos are of captive animals but I don't try to pretend they're anything else and have nothing but huge respect (and envy) for photographers who go out and capture the real thing. Mind you I'd also like to echo the comment above that it sometimes isn't all that easy to get a good shot in a captive setting!

[Dr Bob]

Dr Bob,
Did you miss the first part of this thread, regarding game farms?
Anyway regarding the lens I already have a 500mm Canon prime lens with a 1.4x and 2x teleconverter which covers most situations and a full Danish camouflage kit.Worth noting that your Gillie suit costs about a quarter of what my kit costs. But thanks for the tip. On the same trip I'm also heading up to Jasper.So I'm covering Grand Teton,Yellowstone and Jasper in about 3 weeks.

Sorry, I have a 'selective' reading disorder
The new 300-800 is a very nice lens and on a clear day, you can see the back of your own head

Yes, that's a really good price for the Gillie suit. As long as your "Full Danish" doesn't smell of bacon you should be ok

[Hawk_Eye]

For anyone that's interested my avatar was taken at Appuldurcombe Falconry centre on the Isle of Wight. I have to admit that using these sorts of places, as long as the animals are well cared for, are great places to practice especially for amatuers.

[Pathfinder]

To Dr Bob,
No my full hunting suit doesn't smell of bacon, fortunate give some of the beasties I photograph,I might be misidentified as lunch, but it does have a definite whiff of something. Its natural I think.

[Dr Bob]

To Dr Bob,
No my full hunting suit doesn't smell of bacon, fortunate give some of the beasties I photograph,I might be misidentified as lunch, but it does have a definite whiff of something. Its natural I think.

No worse than the natural essence of a wetsuit, no doubt
Looking forwards to seeing your pictures.

[vichillman]

Don't get me wrong about captivity for the rarer species, I do think it is necessary to cheat Darwin in some cases, and developers and poachers in all cases. However, I do feel very strongly that the animals should be kept in an environment and temperature much closer to their own... Not a huge cold, damp empty space in the UK.
What a difference this would make to the psychological and phyisiological welfare of the animal, AND go part way to adding authenticity to any photographs.

I have recently completed my MSc and for my thesis I decided to investigate the effects of visitor numbers and noise on the behaviour of captive ring-tailed lemurs in three very different enclosures. One was a 4-acre open woodland where the animals were free to roam around, jump through trees etc with heated sheds for them to use, one was a very very small and baren enclosure with no nature foliage and the thrid was somewhere in between the other two. Not only was there a huge variation in behaviours, but also in the size and fitness of the animals with those living in the 4-acre woodland being the closest to those you would see if you were to go to Madagascar.

I have to admit, it was actually quiet refreshing seeing people really having to look hard to find the lemurs in the woodland, let alone photograph them!

[Hawk_Eye]

I have recently completed my MSc and for my thesis I decided to investigate the effects of visitor numbers and noise on the behaviour of captive ring-tailed lemurs in three very different enclosures. One was a 4-acre open woodland where the animals were free to roam around, jump through trees etc with heated sheds for them to use, one was a very very small and baren enclosure with no nature foliage and the thrid was somewhere in between the other two. Not only was there a huge variation in behaviours, but also in the size and fitness of the animals with those living in the 4-acre woodland being the closest to those you would see if you were to go to Madagascar.

I have to admit, it was actually quiet refreshing seeing people really having to look hard to find the lemurs in the woodland, let alone photograph them!

One of my favourite animals, lemurs. It's a shame how some zoos and wildlife centres don't fully accommodate the animals they have. On the Isle of Wight earlier in the year I went to the IoW Zoo and the big cat keeper said that while in a perfect world all the animals would be in the wild unfortunately that just can't happen in the real world. They also had some lemurs there.
I think one problem is that many places, while being well meaning, just can't afford to give animals a realistic life in captivity. It's a shame given that many places do try hard to educate and help endangered species through conservation projects.