A discussion hosted by Sanctuary Asia and Save the Tiger in association with the Wildlife Wing of West Bengal government, SHER, ACT and The Times of India in Kolkata raised pertinent questions on the role photography plays in conservation.
Speaking about the event, Bittu Sahgal, Founder-Editor, Sanctuary Asia said, “Sanctuary Asia has nurtured a legion of wildlife photographers over the past three decades. Our job now is to protect their reputation by raising the standards bar; not just for nature photography but also for the ethical compass that guides conservation photography in India and across the globe. Ethics is determined by social conditioning. It's not a thin, straight line and there is always an allurement to break ethical norms. But it could be detrimental to conservation. An irresponsible photographer will do as much harm to nature and animals as a poacher. In the past, we have seen calves being tied as baits to click tigers. Nest photography has often resulted in the death of chicks and it sadly continues. We should guard against such practices."
Speaking about the use of various lenses during photography, Sahgal emphasised the need for photographers to maintain a safe distance from their subjects saying, “The photographer should make himself invisible to the animals even if that means having to sacrifice a good photograph."
The talk was followed by a panel discussion attended by N.C. Bahuguna, Chief Wildlife Warden; Pradeep Vyas, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests; writer Shilanjan Bhattacharya; Anurag Danda, WWF Sunderbans chapter head and conservationist Raj Basu.
Source: Sanctuary Asia.Â
