cancer

[Jared Lloyd]

Notice the tumors along this fellows body. Something we are seeing more and more of these days in our whitetailed deer population in North Carolina. Our industrialized civilization is poinsoning every one on this planet.

I know its tight at the top, my emphasis with this photo was the tumors and I forgot to check for head room.

[Alfred Forns]

Your intentions came in loud and clear !!! I hate seeing what is happening to them !! What will be the outcome?

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Your image brought me back to reality. We have been picturising beautiful specimens and people feel good when they see those. But, I feel there is also a need to show people the ill effects of our impact on nature and wildlife.

[chad anderson]

sad, any serious studies in to this phenomenon?

[Todd Frost]

Hate to see this. As much as people like to think we can leave the natural world to fend for itself, we are a part of that natural world. This just shows how much more we need to be aware of our impact with all our encroachment into the wild lands. Our modern things (chemicals among other things) are not always a good thing:(.
Todd

[Jonathan Michael Ashton]

Wow, I agree this is pretty grim and if man is responsible it is a sad state of affairs. As a scientist I would ask is there any proof that this is indeed chemically induced, as opposed to being virally induced?
Jon

[Jared Lloyd]

This photo was taken just outside of Plymouth NC, less than a mile from the Weyerhaeuser paper plant there. I am making assumptions that this is related in anyway to the paper plant, however, talking with other folks that hunt in that area, this is something that they see every year. Considering that cancer rates have been on the rise in Americans for the last 50 years an also considering that statsitically, the leading cause of death in Eastern North Carolina is cancer (where as the rest of the state and country is cardiovascular disease), its hard not to draw conclusions that these tumors are not related to human activities in the area. If anyone is wondering why cancer rates are the leading cause of death there, its primarily due to the fact that cotton (the most chemicaly intensive crop) is one of the primary crops of the region - which by the way is also heavily farmed around the town of Plymouth.

At any rate, thanks for the response to the photo. A lot of people do not like to look at things like this. Or, more accurately put, a lot of photographers i know don't like to look at photographs like this. But to me, I dont JUST want to make photographs of beautiful places and stunning wildlife specimens. I also would like my work to "work" towards something larger, something more meaningful in life as well.