Towards extinction?

[Hilary Hann]

The fine stripes of the Grevy's zebra enable it to use the typical arid bush as camouflage but despite this their numbers still plummet. I took this image late in the evening and with the dust and the the silvery thorns I tried to accentuate their march into obscurity … but of course, I am hoping that it will be otherwise. The only way to convey what I saw was through a monochrome image and I've used a quadtone filter here.
Full frame, hand held
7D; 100-400 @ 400; ISO400; 1/200 f6.3, manual exposure

[Todd Frost]

I like it Hilary. It would truly be unfortunate if their numbers plummet as you have stated. The quadtone works well here for me, I agree with you that to convey this feel the conversion works best. Good exposure and sharpness. Well done.
TFS
Todd

[Morkel Erasmus]

poignant image here Hilary, great "cause" to promote and I like the way their stripes are echoed by the thorns. conversion looks good.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Hilary, I like the conversion very much, well controlled and the depth of tones is very nice. Pleased to see you have taken to this variation of medium, just adds another option to your photography.

Regarding the image, it doesn't really do anything for me sadly and I would like a fraction more at the foot of the image.

Sorry.

Steve

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks everyone, don't be sorry Steve, I know images like this aren't going to appeal to all but it was as much a conservation statement as anything. I like it but it isn't for everyone!

[Robert Amoruso]

I like the idea and execution here Hilary. The thorns clash nicely with the bold strips. I feel if you had only the zebra closest to you in the image, visual impact would be even greater.

[Ken Watkins]

Hilary,

Agree with Steve on the image itself.

These Zebras have really chosen the wrong place to llive, being slaughtered for meat and skins or the tourists. But even given the almost totally inertia of the Kenyan authorities, numbers are slowly increasing, mainly thanks to private initiatives principally Lewa.

[Hilary Hann]

Thanks Ken (I didn't think it would be your cup of tea! ). Sadly, the only initiative that has worked even marginally is Lewa, where these were photographed but even they are struggling to get the numbers to increase. Their herd dynamics appear to make them easy targets for predators. I don't know how they are going in Samburu, but information I have doesn't sound very positive and the translocated population in Meru NP has been decimated and now contains a herd of only one sex … no chance of procreation there!!