Photography

Item Description

Kevin Dooley, WildLife Photographer and Remembering Cheetahs artist, has donated a very special signed art print of his photo taken of Uganda cheetahs from the Tulie Block of Botswana just for this auction.

Size: 16X20

Tuli Block of Botswana

Canon 1 dxmk2

Sigma 60-600

This is one of Kevin's favorite Cheetah photos and this is his story of life and death. For those who have gone on safari with Kevin, you understand his relentless pursuit to spend hours living with the cheetahs. Sitting under a tree, studying and photographing for hours on end. Radio calls to the lodge asking for a lunch delivery, cat naps due to hazy eyes. All in the pursuit of experiencing one of nature’s most incredible designs. This particular day, most of our safari guests had gone back to the lodge for brunch, a swim, and a nap. Somehow I convinced a few folks to hang out with me and spend several hours under the shade of an umbrella thorn tree. All in the hopes of observing the activities of a mother cheetah who was busy attending to her three teenagers.

It had been a few days since the last meal and the cubs were gazing at mom in pure disappointment of her lack of securing a meal. I could read the expressions, the sounds of purring had been replaced with the sounds of hunger. The bodies were beginning to show ribs and the eyes were filled with the emotions of help. Mom was doing the best she could, the challenges of providing food and protection were not easy. Everyday does not provide the opportunities for a hunt, every hunt does not provide a meal. The burning of calories, the build up of thirst, the emotions of defeat, all play a part in this struggle of survival.

On this day, it was about to all come together. A distant Impala, holding perfectly still, watching for just the right moment where the odds of success outweigh the odds of failure. Failure is way more then just a touch of hunger. A lose of energy, a family to support, the future of a generation of endangered species. So much on the line. I saw all of this in the mother’s eyes, I saw all the hope in her cubs eyes, I saw so much life and so much death in my eyes.

This day changed my life forever, it changed my perception of life and death, it taught me that all must live and all must die. That every child is important, every expression has meaning. It taught me the importance of the story that another is telling you through expression and through the emotion of the eyes. Yes the eyes really are the doorway to the soul.
Kevin Dooley

https://idubephotosafaris.com/kevin-dooley-wildlife-photography-gallery/

Item Special Note

Donated by Wildlife Photographer Kevin Dooley. The Artists will be shipping directly to the winning bidder and all proceeds go to CCF.

The winner can choose to cover shipping. If so, the winner should notify Dionne Stein by email at dionne@cheetah.org.

International bidders will be responsible for covering all costs of shipping.