Wild animals through the lens of a UPWr PhD student

• Don't buy fireworks for New Year's Eve – what is a few minutes of fun for us is extremely stressfull for animals 

Safoura became interested in photography in 2019 - that’s when she bought her first decent camera. At first, she was only interested in astrophotography, i.e. photography of the celestial sphere and the objects occurring on it. But it so happened that, as a veterinarian and future doctor of veterinary science, Safoura decided to try her hand at photographing animals – at first only dogs.

– I attended workshops and did online courses, and after a while I decided to see if I could do well in wildlife photography, because my love for animals is not limited to dogs and cats – says the doctoral student. – Animals are also very appreciative - you won't hear from a dog that it doesn't like how it looks in a photo – Safoura adds, laughing. 

A few days' trip to the Milicz Ponds with a friend truly sparked the PhD student's passion for wildlife photography. – I loved observing animals in secret and waiting for the perfect moment to get the shot. It made me feel like I was part of nature’s great mystery and I was experiencing something that not everyone gets to experience. Getting up at dawn and waiting for nature to wake up was amazing, but also not easy. However, the reward for our patience in the form of the presence of animals and the shots we managed to take was worth all the sacrifices – says Safoura, who, after returning from the Milicz Ponds, almost immediately enrolled in a nature photography workshop in Opole.  

By then, she had completely fallen in love with this type of photography. – Taking photos gives me great satisfaction. It's my way of expressing myself, what gives me a mental break and my cure for everyday problems which I forget about when I grab my camera. Unfortunately, my duties at  the university and in my private life mean that I sometimes lack the time to get more involved. However, the excitement I felt during the workshop and the trip still keeps me going – adds Safoura, saying that her favourite models are dogs, cats and … sheep! And among wild animals, her favourite are birds. – My absolute dream is to photograph penguins in the wild, and young foxes, which are so cute! – she adds. 

Protect animals, including wild ones - don’t buy fireworks

It’s certainly not easy to photograph wild animals, after all, they are very skittish – so it’s worth remembering, in light of the approaching New Year's Eve, not to frighten them unnecessarily with the bang of fireworks. For wild animals, fireworks can be even more dangerous than for our pets. While dogs and cats can be comforted and you can minimize their stress, wild animals, farm animals or those in animal shelters and zoos are exposed to enormous stress, the consequences of which can be unpredictable. Every year, hundreds, if not thousands, of birds die during New Year festivities. Frightened out of their safe hiding places by the bang of fireworks, in a panicky flight they crash into trees, buildings and power lines. 

Wrocław has consistently not taken part in pyrotechnic displays on New Year's Eve since 2015, something the University of Environmental and Life Sciences is very much in favour of. In 2022, the city has decided to extend this restriction further – in November, the city authorities appealed to the managers of the city's marketplaces not to open the area to fireworks traders. While it will still be possible to find a stand with fireworks this year, next year these will disappear completely from the city's markets.

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