PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Jo-Anne McArthur | Giraffe in an Ikea Parking Lot

Name: Jo-Anne McArthur
Picture title: Giraffe in an Ikea Parking Lot
Category: People’s Choice
Nationality: Canada
Occupation: I’ve been taking photos for almost 30 years. I’m also the Founder and President of We Animals, a non-profit photo agency that advocates for animals through photojournalism.

Technical information
Camera: Nikon D4S
Lens: Tamron 120mm-400mm
EXIF: 1/6400 sec at f4.5, -0.3 step, ISO 400
Accessories: –

Jo-Anne McArthur says:

In 2016 I was commissioned by the Born Free Foundation to document a cross-section of zoos in Europe. I encountered this Rothschild’s giraffe in Germany, owned by a company that seemed to be part zoo, part circus. Their event space was set up next to an Ikea, and I saw that I could photograph one of the giraffes with my lens pointing up towards him or her, with the Ikea sign in the background. I knew that this would be a good way of showing the absurdity of keeping wild animals where they do not belong. 

It can be difficult to convey the life of a wild animal in captivity through a photograph. There is so much that the photo cannot reveal. Was the animal wild-caught and transported from overseas? Were they taken from their families? Did any friends or family members die in the process? Were they born in captivity, and have they been sold between zoos and circuses? Have they ever had enough room to run? Do they wish they could choose other foods to eat? Are they happy, or lonely? 

This image became one of the many in my book about zoos and aquaria, called Captive, which was published in 2017.