Michelle Richa 

Panama 

We all know that in the wild, elephants, for example, live in large and sociable herds. Today many of them are born in these enclosures, a far cry from their natural habitats, with props that allude to their home in the wilderness.

 Born to be Wild is a series of storytelling photographs about the controversy of keeping captive wild animals on display and the discrepancy between our intention as zoo-goers. The idea is to contribute this reflection about animals in captivity: Our experiences at zoos are about our entertainment. But we don’t see that this comes at the expense of those who are kept captive, for decades.

Make a pause, pay attention and look closely…

That boredom, loneliness, and lack of choice that animals in zoos experience everyday justify our entertainment? Are we respecting them?

Animals were born to be wild, not in captivity.