I’ve seen this photo countless times. . It wasn’t until recently, however, when I was up in front of a group, giving a presentation with this photo on a slide that I remembered the impact it had on me the first time I saw it. . This beautiful Red-Shanked Douc Langur was poached in a “protected” tropical forest of Laos. Patrols heard gunshots but were too late. . While showing this photo to a group, made up mostly of teenagers from resettled villages on the Nakai Plateau, I choked up. . It felt like his eyes were piercing back into mine, pleading for help – not just for his own life, but for the entire forest his family calls home. The illegal wildlife trade has caused this forest to become a war zone for all animals as a price looms over their head. . #ProjectAnoulak has built a research station far into a remote part of the forest, where gunshots are heard nightly. . I’m not sure if my audience noticed my eyes well up and my throat tighten, but I couldn’t hide how, in that space and time, attempting to convey a message of compassion for animals and their habitat hit me like a ton of bricks. #Anoulak means #conservation Photo from ConservationLaos.com Facebook: Project Anoulak Please support them if you can. #wildlifetrafficking #illegalwildlifetrade #criticallyendangered #redshankeddouc #poached #keephopealive #unitedforwildlife (at Nakai–Nam Theun)
