Two by two, animals are paired for breeding based on selected genetic traits. The animals in this series are portrayed in the midst of mating rituals: simultaneously intimate yet violent, their behavior satisfies their wild dispositions. Coerced by restraining devices, the animals convey the role of human intervention in nature’s course.

For this series I researched how each species is captured in the wild and brought into captivity, which dictated the restraining devices I incorporated into several of the images. For example, when giraffes are caught in the wild, captors tape their ears and eyes to disorient them while they are transported into captivity. This is not a breeding technique, but rather a method to induce submission. When added to the posture of the mating ritual it asks us to consider the various ways that humans impact natural evolution.

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