Critters: A Tribute to Compassion

Since we humans are part of the circle of life and share the planet with myriad lifeforms, most of us are interested in other creatures. This collection of photos needs no more introduction than that.

Yet I am compelled to say something about compassion because, after millenia living with animals and being dependent on them for our survival, many humans are still unkind, if not indiffent to animals. It seems that compassion—caring about the suffering of other sentient beings—is not innate in many humans. It is a learned response for some of us. Growing up around farming, hunting, and trapping, it took me years to become aware of this and apply the lessons in my own life.

This little collection of images is therefore dedicated to all creatures great and small (to borrow an elegant phrase) and with the hope that humans soon learn to treat animals with the kindness and respect they deserve.

Dennis Slifer
Sow's Ear Farm, Virginia