Advertisement
Advertisement
Read Next
Photo Of The Day By Jeff Harshaw

Photo Of The Day By Jeff Harshaw
Today’s Photo of the Day is...
Photo Of The Day By Barbara Scoles
Today’s Photo of the Day is...
Photo Of The Day By Jody Partin
Today’s Photo of the Day is “The...
Photo Of The Day By Gretchen Kay Stuart
Today’s Photo of the Day is “Brown...Advertisement
Featured Articles

Read More
The Art of Luminosity, Part 1
Understanding light to improve your photography.

Read More
Ends Of The Earth
Paul Nicklen on his career in conservation photography, climate change in the polar regions and his new book, Born To Ice, celebrating those ecosystems and their inhabitants.

Read More
Pumas Of Patagonia
Private lands adjacent to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, now opening to photographers, provide an unparalleled opportunity for observing wild puma behavior.

Read More
Lenses For Wildlife Photography
When it comes to selecting lenses for wildlife photography, the first thing most photographers look for is focal length—a long lens that can reach out and cover great distances, bringing animals in for close-ups—but other features are also incredibly useful.

Read More
Peavine Cove
Watson Lake Park is located four miles north of downtown Prescott, Arizona.

Read More
Be A Wildlife Biographer
My discovery of wildlife photography felt like a fulfillment of that lifelong affinity and fascination for animals.
Dangerous Nature?
Wild Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) Male eating figs, Australia
I am often asked – at lectures and in interviews – what is the most dangerous thing I have ever encountered in nature. Frankly, I hate that question, first because of its inherent sensationalism, but also because it is so misplaced: I have very little to fear from the wild animals with which I spend time – and far more from my own species. The truth is, the most dangerous thing I do is probably drive to and from the airport.
Still, when I first started my project on wild Cassowaries in Australia, I was told by a lot of people that I was crazy. These are, the story goes, the “most dangerous birds in the world,” capable of disemboweling their enemies with a powerful swipe of their dinosaur-like feet. (think the velociraptors in Jurassic Park). Yet, despite their fearsome reputation, Cassowaries are only known to have killed one human – a teenage boy (some 50 years ago) who had cornered the bird and was beating it with a stick. (I’m not sure the kid didn’t get what he deserved)
I have always resented the media obsession with the supposed dangers found in nature. (Just look at much of the programming on the Discovery Channel – “Shark Week”, “Fangs”, “World’s Most Dangerous blah-blah-blah.”) In my view, this kind of attitude does a disservice to wildlife, and to the TV audience.
Having spent almost a month in the company of these striking birds, which stand 5 feet tall and bear a hard, horny crest, I have found them to be gentle creatures and attentive parents. Yes, it still makes my heart race to stand within a few inches of one, but I have never really felt threatened.
In the picture above, I captured this adult male stripping wild figs off a rainforest tree. Following these birds birds through the underbrush, I often worked within a few feet, shooting handheld, trying to minimize my disturbance of their natural behavior. I hope to be back in Australia later this year to record the emergence of young Cassowary chicks, documenting the life history of these birds for the first time.
Nikon D3, 17-35mm lens, fill-flash.