18 Tigers Art Show

When you have a piece of information, there are many levels to understanding it. At first it speaks to everyone in a general way. A lot of people get the gist of what you're saying. But if it sparks your interest, you may want to find out more. Perhaps as a college student, you'll find yourself writing a paper about it. Maybe you'll start to meet others you share your fascination. As you explore your interests, your conversations can lead you to act in a way that changes things for everyone for the better.

I work at Morris Library. They call me a Specialist. I'm am the first person you should talk to when you have a question at the Information Desk. It's my job to help all kinds of people connect the dots because the world of information is a labyrinth. There are no straight lines. The answers aren't black and white and if you and I can't find a shade of gray that suits you, I can refer you to a librarian who specializes in your field-and I am constantly amazed at the depth and breadth of our librarians' experience. We empower students by handing them the keys to unlock deeper realms. If it's been published and I don't have a copy of it, I know how to get it. I am certain many students don't understand how powerful this access to information is. So I'm taking this opportunity to demonstrate with a subject that is close to my heart.

What flipped my switch? I have spent the past 25 years supporting an aviary full of exotic parrots from all over the world. What do they eat? It's hard telling when researchers can't follow them through the landscape. The National Geographic did a story on macaws in Peru. Scientists were finding out what baby macaws were being fed in the wild by getting them out of their nests. That's about the time I met Greg Harrison who sells organic bird food worldwide. He was working with that project in Tambopata. I helped him by writing a point-of-purchase book to educate other avian vets, big aviaries, and bird owners about what we know about birds. It taught me a lot about the problems human expansion is creating for many species, but I never dreamed my generation would be the ones saving tigers from total annihilation.

I jumped on board the tiger issue because the effects of caring will solve the problem on many levels for all of us. People are already cooperating to do this worldwide through NPO's like panthera.org. I've highlighted Panthera's work because it's getting great results. Listening to Alan Rabinowitz, Pathera's CEO in a radio interview is what led me this direction. When the incident as Zanesville, Ohio occurred, it was all the more gut wrenching because the information I got about it was shallow and regurgitated through the news cycle. Having callouses on my callouses didn't help. I went back to Rabinowitz's interview because I could see clearly that he has already covered a lot a ground on finding the solution. I have an affinity to his way of thinking because mine developed similarly as the result of PTSD from an accident in my youth that rocked my world. If he could do it, so could I. And if I can do it, so can you.

When I sent Krista Tippett information about my 18 Tigers Art Show, she linked my Facebook event page to Rabinowitz's interview under comments. The fact that many other artists have joined in this event leads me to believe I'm on the right track. I'm going to be on Glenda Greenhouse's WDBX radio show this Monday, and I'm working on a plan to send the 18 Tigers Art Show to a college in Manhattan and San Francisco because I believe the conversations people are going to have about this IS the answer. I'm posting all my work on Flickr, Facebook, and Squidoo because I want other people to "start an uproar' of their own. I believe this kind of art therapy can help people heal their own hearts and the enlighten them to do the work they're called to do with others.

Learning to live with monsters is a big dilemma. Keeping in mind that they aren't simply monsters the first step. Recognizing that they are the only companions we have in the entire universe is another big step forward. If you get to the part where you see people as the monsters, don't let that stop you. That's not entirely true either. I'm starting a conversation about our ability to connect with one another and cooperate because NOT putting your attention on a problem doesn't erase it. It only changes the norms for the next generation --as mine can attest. Start here. Morris Library is an excellent place to begin your journey and get your conversations started.

Last month, the December 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine featured Rabinowitz in in a story written by Caroline Alexander. It is about the future of tigers. I'll highlight his work and spread the word about what people are doing right as we start a conversation about our vision for the future.

In January, this story broke: Panthera and NG Team Up to Save Big Cats

National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative has teamed up with Panthera, the world's leading organization devoted exclusively to the conservation of the world's 37 wild cat species. Together, they aim to further the global fight to save big cats in the wild.

sabertooth cats, powerful arms
Water based oil on canvas, 36" x 48"
Original tiger photograph by Tommy Simms on Flickr.com

Hearing the interview with Alan Rabinowitz on Krista Tippett's NPR show called, "On Being," touched me on many levels. As a child Rabinowitz was crippled with a stuttering problem that was so severe, they put him in the classes with the kids who had learning problems and forgot about him. He couldn't speak to people, but he could speak to animals. And as this broken child connected with a broken, caged leopard in the zoo he made a promise. If he could ever complete a sentence, he'd be the voice for the animals. Rabinowitz went on to learn how to control his breath and now he is doing what he said he would do for the big cats. He's doing it very well. He's got a PhD in Zoology, acts as the CEO for panthera.org, and he's really making a difference. Years later as he's tracking a wild black panther through the jungle, the panther slips in behind him and he comes face to face with it. Now he measures his spirit to this healthy, wild animal and the story comes full circle. Rabinowitz says this about tigers:

"Spiritually I feel very strongly about the tigers. I think you can drop me off any place in the world and I can tell you if the big cats are around me or not. I have been face to face with wild lions, with wild jaguars, and there is a real energy emanating from them. I've been in jungle and watched as big cats move through the jungle and hear all of the animals go silent as the big predator moves through it. The energy in a jungle with big predators is a very, very different energy, and when you truly merge with it and feel it, it's not a dangerous energy. It's not a negative energy - completely the opposite. It's this huge, positive, overwhelming force which humbles you, makes you realize that there are things much greater on the Earth than you."

Peter Levine wrote one of my favorite books. It's called, "Waking the Tiger." Levine talks about the fight or flight response everyone has to a traumatic event. When something bad happens to you and it leaves you paralyzed with fear, the energy of the event slips inside you. It keeps hurting you. You spend all your time replaying the event over and over looking at the situation from different angles to make sure it never happens to you again. Meanwhile it saps your strength. However, if you can look at the event, re-write the story, re-focus the energy and wake the tiger, you can get the energy to move through you instead of letting is get stuck inside you. This process makes you strong. Learn how to re-create yourself. Learn how to re-create the world by waking the tiger and facing what paralyzes you.

It really works. I had a healthy case of PTSD from a car accident as a child. I connected with parrots to make myself strong. I helped write a book that rocked the avian world. When I was in a second car accident a few years ago, I knew what to do. I avoided a lot of the pitfalls I stepped directly into as a much younger person because I moved the energy differently. And now when I look at the gut wrenching incident at Zanesville, Ohio where all those animals got shot. I watch how the pain disappears from the horizon but still rolls around in our psyches and I simply must say out loud it's not enough to witness the event. We have to do something with it.

Here's the link for Krista Tippett's show

With the extinction of the tiger so close, transforming our own hearts is paramount.

Water based oil on canvas, 30" x 40"
Original tiger photography by Alpha Whiskey Photography on Flickr.com and HERE

Imagining Eve in her traditional role as the mother of all humans. Consider for a moment how the Earth's lush rainforest gardens fuel the weather patterns across the globe and every living creature has a niche of their own. We can pretend she is not afraid of being eaten by tigers. Being well acquainted with all of God's creatures, Eve sees them primarily as top predators keeping the size and quality of herd animals in check to protect against the spread of disease and the effects of over-grazing. And now after 7500 generations of humans, let's say you can talk to Mother Eve and explain how our evolution is going:

You: Hello greatest grandmother.

Eve: Hello child. What is this I hear about tigers disappearing?

You: Yes, there will soon be 7 billion humans on the Earth. We don't have space or the resources to share with big predatory cats.

Eve: But tigers don't eat people unless they're sick or they can't find prey.

You: The people are hungry too. They have eaten the tiger's prey and replaced the jungle with a monoculture--palm oil plantations.

Eve: "The future survival of the world's big cats, as well as that of many other wildlife species, depends on the health, well-being, and good will of the people and communities with whom they must share their land. Wildlife conservation will succeed only when local people are convinced that their lives are tangibly improved as a result of having wild animals around them. The more difficult task of sustaining conservation success will be achieved only with the realization that the well being of both animals and people are inextricably intertwined in the manner in which nature intended."

Why Living with Big Cats is Critical for Future Generations

water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photo by Juan Rubian on Flickr
Portrait by Randi at tankgirlsrs on Flickr

When I started this project, there was a lot of intensity going on in my life. My neighbor was paralyzed in a car wreck, my mother in-law-was dying, people were getting pepper sprayed at U.C. Davis for non-violently protesting, and 1% of the world's Bengal tiger population was killed in a single incident. 18 tigers were dead. The fact that 18 tigers represents 1% of the world population of Bengal tigers hits me hard.

How did we get here? A Vietnam veteran with PTSD was making a horrific statement. It was like watching a Buddhist monk set himself on fire. It was like watching children turn themselves into bombs. There's a special soft part of my heart that was breaking watching this sadness unfold in the world.

I have first hand experience with the frustration of caring for exotic animals and thinking no one else does it right. I know what that guy was thinking when he used his self-immolation like a weapon to rage against the machine. And I'm here to show the world community how this works. I want to start a conversation about living with big cats because right here in Southern Illinois the population of cougars is growing.

Well, who am I? Over the last 20 years I've rescued more than 30 parrots. Different birds from all over the globe are sitting in my house every moment of every day wondering what I'm going to do next. Even the smallest ones have a lifespan of 20 years. The largest ones live as long as humans do. Supporting them involves a lot of pressure over a long, long period of time. Eventually, a person realizes she has to trust other people. My largest parrots will live longer than I will and their populations are facing the same problems tigers are.

Before social networking, connecting with like minds on the internet was still difficult but I caught a break. Dr. Harrison, an avian veterinarian who sells organic birdfood worldwide commissioned me to simplify the message on his website. I put his ideas in a point of purchase booklet he provided to avian veterinarians, big aviaries, and bird owners who were already on the same page. It was part of the wave that changed the way the whole pet food industry talked about feeding peoples' pets-and not just birds. All kinds of pets benefit as humans get wiser. So I learned a valuable lesson about what one person can do. But it's not just one person doing it. It is people cooperating that gets things done!

The system for protecting tigers is already in place. There are some non-profit organizations projects that are doing things right. Look around. The work of Dr. Alan Rabinowitz really shines. He is the "Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation." I heard his story on Krista Tippett's National Public Radio show called "On Being." The interview is titled "The Voice of the Animals." Under comments on that page you'll find a link to my 18 Tigers Art Show. Not because what I am doing is so special but because the whole world is looking for ideas to solve the complex problem of tiger extinction and now is time to do more than talk. Looking at the problem leads to understanding it. Understanding leads to action. Action leads to hope. There is hope. You are here at this very moment because you want to help make things right. Many other artists have become a part of the show because they want to help make things right.

In the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) tribes there is a member of the society called a Heyoka. That translates roughly as a jester or a sacred clown. The Heyoka lives with the rest of the community, but stands outside their normal way of doing things so he can mirror back to the people how their actions are serving the highest good. Heyokas remind us that personal responsibility is at the heart of social order, survival, and sacred power. That's the greater role the artists in my show are playing today. They help us to penetrate deception, turn over rocks, and create a deeper awareness among human be-ings. It's our children who will play the greatest role over the years to come. A famous Wichasa Wakhan (holy man) named Black Elk said, "Grown men may learn from very little children, for the hearts of little children are pure and, therefore, the Great Spirit may show to them many things which older people miss." What we teach the next generations to value means the world to many species.

Walk around the rotunda. We're here to tell you like it is. We're starting the conversation because tigers are the helpless victims of human expansion. Recognizing the roles we are creating for ourselves is the answer. Cooperation is the answer. The system is the solution. The system IS the solution, but it is also the problem if we have no vision for the future we're creating and no way of seeing ourselves in the mirror.

The stories we hold onto is what transforms the world. Join the conversation. Let's talk about the difference we want to make. The Dalai Lama says:

"In the face of all the challenges we face today, is my optimism about the future of humanity idealistic? Perhaps it is. Is it unrealistic? Certainly not. To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up."

In the world I want to create, the tigers don't live in cages.

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20".
Original angel photograph by Paulo Costa on Flickr.com
Tiger photograph by Foto Martien on Flickr.com

Angel and Stone

In the world are millions and millions of men, and each man,
With a few exceptions, believes himself to be at the center,
A small number of his more or less necessary planets careening
Around him in an orderly manner, some morning stars singing together,
More distant galaxies shining like dust in any stray sunbeam
Of his attention. Since this is true not of one man or of two,
But of ever so many, it is hard to imagine what life must be like.
But if you drop a stone into a pool, and observe the ripples
Moving in circles successively out to the edge of the pool and then
Reflecting back and passing through the ones which continue to come
Out of the center over the sunken stone, you observe it is pleasing.
And if you drop two stones it will still be pleasing, because now
The angular intersections of the two sets form a more complicated
Pattern, a kind of reticulation regular and of simple origins.
But if you throw a handful of sand into the water, it is confusion,
Not because the same laws have ceased to obtain, but only because
The limits of your vision in time and number forbid you to discrminate
Such fine, quick, myriad events as the angels and archangels, thrones
And dominations, principalities and powers, are delegated to witness
And declare the glory of before the lord of everything that is.
Of these great beings and mirrors of being, little at present is known,
And of the manner of their perceiving not much more. We imagine them
As benign, as pensively smiling and somewhat coldly smiling, but
They may not be as we imagine them. Among them there are some who count
The grassblades and the grains of sand by one and one and one
And number the raindrops and memorize the eccentricities of snowflakes.
One of the greater ones reckons and records the times of time,
Distinguishing the dynasties of Mountains, races, cities,
As they rise, flower and fall, to whom an age is as a wave,
A nation the spray thrown from its crest; and one, being charged
With all the crossing moments, the coming-together and drivings-apart,
Reads in the chromatin its cryptic scripture as the cell divides;
And one is the watcher over chance events and the guardian of disorder
According to the law of the square root of n, so that a certain number
Of angels or molecules shall fall in irrelevance and be retrograde.
So do they go, those shining creatures, counting without confusion
And holding in their slow immeasurable gaze all the transactions
Of all the particles, item by atom, while the pyramids stand still
In the desert and the deermouse huddles in his hole and the rain falls
Piercing the skin of the pool with water in water and making a million
And a million designs to be pleasingly latticed and laced and interfused
And mirrored to the Lord of everything that is by one and one.

-- Howard Nemorov

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Steve Wilson on Flickr
Portrait by Caiti Borruso on Flickr

Responding to Noise We Cannot Hear-Study

Even sounds you can't hear can have a powerful affect on your nervous system. One example is the "infrasound" in the roar of a tiger.

A tiger's intimidating roar has the power to paralyze animals. Even experienced human trainers are stunned. "We suspect that this is caused by the low frequencies and loudness of the sound," says Elizabeth von Muggenthaler, a bioacoustician from the Fauna Communications Research Institute in North Carolina. "Humans can hear frequencies from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz, but whales, elephants, rhinos, and tigers can produce sounds below 20 hertz."

In the first study of its kind, von Muggenthaler and her colleagues recorded every growl, hiss, chuff, and roar of 24 tigers at the Carnivore Preservation Trust in Pittsboro, North Carolina, and the Riverbanks Zoological Park in Columbia, South Carolina. The bioacousticians found that tigers can create sounds at about 18 hertz, and when tigers roar they can create frequencies significantly below this.

This unheard, low-pitched infrasound can travel long distances - permeating buildings, cutting through dense forests, and even passing through mountains.

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Dreadfuldan or Daniel Boud
Portrait by Emyah or HERE

Secrecy, speed, power to subdue

Water based oil on canvas, 24' x 48'
Original bubble idea by Richard Heeks on Flickr

I was trying to paint of picture of emptiness; I could only paint being. What can I do with this moment I fished out of the stream of time and flash froze? Stopping time is not at all like experiencing emptiness. I've tasted emptiness and it is not a fragmented sliver of experience patched together the way my waking life is. It is more like lucid dreaming. More like the entire experience you'll take away from this show instead of just this tiny piece of it standing alone on its own.

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by fPat Murray on Flickr.com
Portrait by Pattapix on Flickr.com

"The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild's fondness?"

-- Chief Dan George

Water based oil on canvas, 24' x 36'
Original tiger photograph by Michael Dean on Flickr or HERE
Portrait by Erwin van Dijk on Flickr or HERE

Day 127/365 ~ April 14, 2011.

"And ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." -- Khalil Gibran

Time is flying by once again. Can you feel it?

Bear with me over these few days because tomorrow I have to be on a plane and the thought of it fills me with dread. New place, new weather, new people, new air, new everything. And I have never been good with change. Because when I think of home I don't think of the big things. I think of the comfort of flopping down on the couch to watch TV. I think of all the shows I purposely set my times by so I can watch them. I think of the view outside my window, the blue sky, or the rain pelting the glass. I think of lying down on my bed with my eyes firmly shut dreaming about different things. I think of the sound of my family's voices, the soft fur of my dog's paw in my hand, the whooshing sound of the air conditioner, the dangerous feeling of free falling from rushing down flights of steps. I think of how I have all the different light rays in the house memorized, the feeling of touching a solitary piano key, and hearing its familiar melody.
And when I think of home I don't picture anything else at all, anything, anything other than this.

-- Amanda Mabel on Flickr.com

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by John Davenport on Flickr or HERE
Portrait by Lindsey Mae on Flickr

I am Tiger, Hear me ROAR!

Today in the United States, there are more 'pet' tigers in private hands than there are in the wild. Estimates place captive populations between 10,000 and 20,000 captive individuals, a stunning 5,000 of which are believed to be living in Texas alone.

Laws regarding exotic animal ownership vary by state. According a 2005 report released by MSNBC, "Just 14 ban private ownership altogether; eight have a partial ban on some species, 13 states regulate exotic animals and 15 states, including Nevada, have no regulations on many exotic animals whatsoever..."

It is important to realize that there is a huge difference between accredited zoos and roadside menageries or private collections. First off, accredited zoos exist for the sole purpose of education and conservation. They work closely with breeding programs such as the Species Survival Plan to increase genetic diversity in a captive population and work to actively educate the public about the issues many of these endangered species face:

* Accredited zoos are NOT allowed to sell their animals into private hands.
* They are NOT allowed to breed 'mutant' or non-natural hybrid species such as ligers or tigons.
* They are fully-expected to provide proper care and sufficient space for all animals in their charge, or risk losing accreditation.
* And they are NOT allowed to let visitors interact with potentially-dangerous species.

Roadside zoos and private owners operate on a totally separate set of rules:

* They exist for the sole purpose of entertaining human curiosity, even by cruel means such as forcing their animals to perform in shows or behave in unnatural ways in order to please a crowd.
* They are allowed to sell and trade their charges into private hands, often condemning older, weaker animals to CANNED HUNTS.
* And the quality of the care they receive and the size of their enclosure is often regulated by state laws which are nearly impossible to enforce. In some states, 'proper' cage size is defined by the animals' ability to turn in a complete circle.
* They are also allowed to propagate un-ethical breeding methods, such as hybridizing (to create ligers and tigons) and inbreeding (to createwhite or golden tabby tigers).
* In addition, non-accredited owners of exotic animals are often found to display their potentially-dangerous 'pets' in completely un-regulated settings, letting tourists and guests pose with their big cats for photos, or allowing them to hand-feed them through the bars of cages. Such practices have led to a massive increase in exotic pet-related deaths in the last decade. According to some sources, there are currently more tiger attacks in the United States than in the infamous Sunderbans of India.

According to studies conducted by conservationists working with the aforementioned Species Survival Plan, most tigers kept as pets in captivity are a cross-bred mix of various subspecies. This may sound fine to anyone with a minimal understanding of conservation and preservation, but consider this: Any tiger whose ancestry is mixed, untraced, or shows possible signs of inbreeding is no longer a candidate for captive breeding programs. This is because such programs operate with the intent of increasing genetic diversity to achieve a more stable population in the highly-probable event of a wild tiger extinction. Thus, anyone who breeds tigers for the pet trade is NOT helping conserve the species; they are instead creating more genetically-unsound tigers whose sole purpose is to satisfy someone else's greed for an exotic pet.

Also, since there are no possible ways to regulate exact populations of captive tigers in the United States, there is suspicion that an underground illegal trade in tiger parts is taking place right under our noses. This suspicion is often supported by such grizzly finds as THIS, a total of 90 dead tigers and leopards (58 of which were cubs) recovered from a so-called 'rescue' center in California. Their bodies were being stored in freezers and their pelts kept hidden in a nearby barn.

Many people will argue that there are a handful of responsible big cat owners in the United States who have 'unique' relationships with their 'pets', and who take good care of them. Siegfried and Roy had 'unique' relationships with their tigers; they were among the best in the business of animal training. But if disaster can strike even the best, it can certainly happen to anyone. And so long as it's legal for one person to own a tiger as a pet, it's just as legal for the next guy--and there is no way to ensure that he will be as responsible as you.

Sadly, many of the big cats I've personally worked with and photographed in captivity are there because they were rescued from the exotic pet trade. Snowshoe is a hybrid lynx who was found starving to death in the woods of California. His fangs and claws had been removed, and the cartilage in his ears had been permenently damaged, telling rescuers that this was no wild cat. Snowshoe had been someone's pet before he was released, probably kept in a cage too small for his size, hence the damage to his ears. When discovered, he was only given three days left to live, but pulled through and now lives at the High Desert Museum in Sun River, Oregon.

The hybrid Amur/Bengal tiger [pictured] above was likewise rescued from the exotic pet trade, and now lives at the Winston Wildlife Safari, one of the only places in the United States to successfully breed cheetahs for the Species Survival Plan.

In short, the only reason for wanting a tiger or other exotic animal for a pet is to feed the want for something which no one else has; a greed to stand out because you have something unique. But you are not doing any good for any of the players in the resulting equation, least of all the tiger.

If you truly love tigers, you will let the accredited zoos do their part to help preserve the 5 remaining subspecies, and WILL NOT support non-accredited roadside zoos or private owners.

Please take immediate action against current United State laws regarding exotic animal ownership. Just follow the link below to sign the World Wildlife Fund's petition to Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, asking them to use their authority to close existing loopholes in the permitting and monitoring of captive tigers in the U.S.:

--Sarah Bartell

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 8"

Original photograph by Christina Gandolfo on Flickr

Tiger paws span 8" x 8" The front paw has five toes. The back one has four.

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Jim Egner on Flickr

* current estimates suggest that only about 3,000 tigers remain in the wild.
* global population of captive tigers numbers between 15,000 to 20,000
* only about 1,000 of these were managed within co-ordinated breeding programs that aimed to preserve the animals' genetic

Captive tigers 'may save species'

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Rachel Devine on Flickr
Portrait by Cynthia Lou on Flickr

Thomas Moore writes in "Care of the Soul":

"Narcissus lays his head on the grass by the pool, and then he quietly disappears into the underworld, where he continues to gaze at the image in the waters of the river Styx. Our images, especially those that appear in life and play important roles in episodes of transformation, stay with us forever. Once we have entertained an image, it is always potentially present to our gaze. You visit the Uffizi Gallery and see Botticelli's 'Primavera,' and then for a lifetime you dream of it or you talk about it frequently as a measure of beauty. Unexpectedly it presents itself in a moment of thought or in a discussion, reminding you of its eternal presence. This fragment of the myth suggests that we might continually make soul out of our narcissism by preserving and tending to the images that have come to us throughout our lives. This is the basis of art therapy or journal-keeping: making a home for certain images that have been transforming. Certain photographs or old letters might be related to the pool of water. Culturally, of course, we are constantly invited into the depths of ourselves by the plays, paintings, sculptures, and buildings of past centuries. Art can be a cure for narcissism. The words 'curator' and 'cure' are essentially the same. By being the curator of our images, we care for our souls."

Water based oil on canvas, 8" x 10"
Original photograph by Mr. Flibble on Flickr.com

Type "Cause an Uproar" into your browser. Click on "take action."

Show your support for big cats by uploading a picture of your little kitty for a $5 donation to
National Geographic

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Anthony Armenia on Flickr.com
Portrait by Desiree Delgado on Flickr.com

Examining the human equation.

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Anthony Armenia on Flickr.com
Portrait by Desiree Delgado on Flickr.com

Examining the human equation.

Human Population Growth Rate

Year......Billion
1800......1
1927......2
1960......3
1974......4
1987......5
1999......6
2011*.....7

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund estimate 31.10.2011

Pencil on paper, 17" x 14"
Original photograph by Tom Zinn

"The human capacity to care for others isn't something trivial or something to be taken for granted. Rather, it is something we should cherish. Compassion is a marvel of human nature, a precious inner resource, and the foundation of our well-being and the harmony of our societies. If we seek happiness for ourselves, we should practice compassion: and if we seek happiness for others, we should also practice compassion."

--The Dalai Lama

Water based oil on canvas, 16" x 20"
Original tiger photograph by Karl Drilling at Flickr.com
Portrait by danzintokyo.com

The Tiger is the strongest symbol of Yin energy in T'ai Chi philosophy:

Feminine
Passive
Intuitive
Delusion
Moon
Dark
Cold
Submission
Contracting
Downward seeking
Downward movement
Night
Soft
Stillness
Rivers

Water based oil on canvas, 16' x 20"
Tiger Photo by Jen van Wijn on Flickr
Zebra Photo by Roeselien Raimond on Flickr

This picture illustrates what you think you know about tigers. However, tigers live in Asia and zebras live in Africa. So now we see what else is true. When it dawns on you that you don't know how everything fits together, you have an opportunity to learn something new. Being vulnerable that way opens you up to new ways of perceiving.

A.K. Thompson, Pomona, IL
Watercolor

As an artist and writer, I have always been attracted to animals; especially large predators. My mother, Debbie Thompson, won the Illinois Alliance for Arts Educator of the Year in 2000. She gave me a stack of old magazines and told me she found many great painting subjects inside them. One cover struck me; Sporting Classics featured a snarling tiger, so I decided to paint my own rendition of it. I like using newspaper, re-claimed watercolor paints, and an old magazine for inspiration to keep my work truly green.

When I saw on the news what happened to the tigers, lions, and other beautiful animals I was horrified. Why do people try to tame wild animals to keep as pets? I was devastated. The tigers and other animals did nothing wrong; putting them in cages is a severe human error. Admittedly, I can understand why people want to be close to these amazing animals; however, to truly respect a wild animal is to let it be free in its own natural habitat. For all its strength and beauty, the tiger is an intimidating and attractive beast best left to itself and enjoyed at a distance--a frame, in my opinion, is much better boundary.

Charcoal and oil pastel, 12" x 14"

Charcoal and oil pastel, 12" x 14"

Charcoal and oil pastel, 12" x 14"

Fran Jaffe, Anna, IL
Acrylic on canvas, 12" x 24"

The extinction of tigers and any living creature always reminds me of how far human beings have to journey before awakening to a more graceful way of existence. It charges me up, or truth be told, contributes to my anger in regard to our species and our greed. It reminds me
that we do not own this planet we are only stewards and so far we have done a piss poor job
of caring for this planet and ALL of her children.

Fran Jaffe, Anna, IL
Acrylic on canvas, 12" x 24"

My life mantra is always - Grace, Compassion, Dignity, Peace and Love!

Glenn Eichhorn, Carbondale, IL
Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Thanks for the option to participate. I care about tigers in a Noah sort of way.

Gypsy Obermiller, Carbondale, IL
Clay and plastic, 16" x 16"

What would happen if we were destroyed in our own environment for doing what comes naturally to us?

Julie Murphy, Cobden, IL
Mixed media

"What are the trees and the tigers saying?"

Theresa P. Smith, Carbondale, IL
Oil on canvas, 28" x 22"

The tiger represents strength, power, passion and primal energy to me. We must not allow
these beautiful animals to become extinct. It would be a great loss to our planet and to our collective soul.

Lisa Lennox, Carbondale, IL
20" x 20" Black scratchboard

When I was young
I slept with a Tiger.
It was firm and furry
and as large as me.
I wrapped my arm around his neck so tightly
Eventually his head fell off.

When asked by adults
"what will you be when you grow up?"
My answer was always
"Tiger Tamer"

At 17, an Artist asked me to choose an image
to practice my seeing skills.
I chose Tiger.
He is watching you now.

31 years later,
Tiger resides on my nightstand
carrying Goddess Durga.
They watch over my dreams and insomnia.

I pray that Tiger will still walk the earth
in another 31 years.
Can you hear me Durga?
Can you hear me Tiger?
Can we make it so?

Patty Weyhrich, Carbondale, IL
Watercolor, pen and ink, sharpie, acrylic, 16" x 20"

The mother/child pair are reflected in each other. As a mother will protect her child with her entire being, each of us can have compassion for other creatures. We can learn a lot from the way animals live in harmony with their environment. It is my wish that humans will make it a priority to be diligent in our support of a healthy and sustainable world by protecting the diversity of life on this beautiful blue planet.

Loves Me Like a Rock by Paul Simon:

"My momma loves me, she loves me.
She get down on her knees and hug me.
Oh, she loves me like a rock.
She love me like the rock of ages.
She love me, love me, love me, love me."

Retha Daugherty, Carbondale, IL
Oil on Canvas, 12" x 24"

This is an expressionist piece painted straight from the spirit. The black in the tiger is also the black of the background, into which the tiger is fading, with a look of expectancy or of unfinished business.

Tiger, Tiger, please hang on just a little while longer. Hang on for dear life, for YOUR dear life and for mine. Please hang on for a little while longer, until the rest of us can get a clue, of just how much we need you.

Tabitha Tripp, Anne Hill, and Shawn McKitrick

Series Statement

"I have worked as an Art Therapist for 16 years with many survivors of abuse and trauma from ages birth to 70. This series evolved from those therapeutic experiences and the instinct when one is faced with danger. It is natural for animals and humans to react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nerve system, priming them for fight, flight or freeze reactions."

All three pieces are mixed media: acrylic, nature and vintage image collages. Image size is 20 x 26"

Cathy Daesch, Swansea, IL

"Grace...it comes from relying upon a balance of intuitive feelings and rational will."
Mixed media: acrylic, nature and vintage image collages. 20" x 26"

Cathy Daesch, Swansea, IL
"Courage...go into the wilderness to test your courage in the face of wild beasts, harsh conditions and to harmonize with the natural world"
Mixed media: acrylic, nature and vintage image collages, 20" x 26"

Cathy Daesch, Swansea, IL

"Clarity...preserve your true nature so that is stays as clear as water."
Mixed media: acrylic, nature and vintage image collages. 20" x 26"

Shawn McKitrick, Makanda IL (age 12)
"White Fury"
Acrylic, 14" x 14"

"I think tigers are strong, majestic creatures who may not be here in a few years. The world needs tigers. I painted this in honor of this endangered species."

Tabitha Tripp, Anna, IL
"Predator"
24" x 36" Paper mache, poem, mirror, and metal stand

Waiting for copy of poem ....

Tabitha Tripp, Anna, IL
"Never Alone"
24" x 36", Oil Painting

Sorry, I couldn't get a closer shot. with the flash or without it

Margaret Gessel/Anne HIll, Carbondale, IL
"Big Cat"
Pencil, 12" x 15"

Linda Hostelek, Carbondale, IL
Oil on canvas, 30" x 40"

"Never again. Tigers and all other creatures need to be treated with respect and dignity. They are watching, and they remember."

Leila Horsman, Carbondale, IL
Watercolors, pen, sharpie, 8.5" x 11"

"I chose to do this because it shows how both human kids and tiger kids just sometimes like to lie down and feel like they are in their own dreamy world."

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"Tiger, Tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?"

William Blake - The Tiger - 1794

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"It is not part of a true culture to tame tigers,
Any more than it is to make sheep ferocious"

Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
6x24 Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"The Tiger is the third sign in the Chinese Horoscope and signifies bravery. The Tiger was admired by the ancient Chinese as the sign that kept away the three main tragedies of a household, which were fire, thieves and ghosts."
Unknown Author

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"Has anyone thought about your importance in nature? %u2028
Do all know how much you have helped to balance the Eco? %u2028
All only know to kill for your body saying they fear you.
But the fact remains that you are the priceless so killed, %u2028
You fear no one so all fear you, %u2028
That's why you'rethe king of the jungle who has the ability to snatch life."

Sambidhan Acharya - Tiger - 2006

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"I want to understand why those paws snatches life,
I want to read those fiery eyes,
And the pain that you have no friends,
Every one screams by your name,
That striped body makes all scream,
Tiger! Tiger! They say and run away."

Sambidhan Acharya - Tiger - 2006

Lara Ashby, Carbondale, IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"...these are the times of dreamy quietude, when beholding the tranquil beauty and brilliancy of the ocean's skin, one forgets the tiger heart that
pants beneath it; and would not willingly remember, that this velvet paw
but conceals a remorseless fang."

Herman Melville 1819-1891

Lara Ashby, Carbondale IL
16 x 24" Digital Photograph on Matte Photo Paper

"The EFRC rescued Max (tiger) from a terrible facility in Flat Rock, Indiana, after the Indiana DNR determined his owner could not properly care for him. Kisa (lion) was rescued shortly after Max from a woman who thought she could raise a lion cub on kitten food. They grew up together as cubs and are now playmates for life. Kisa is very protective of her roommate and they cannot be separated because Kisa becomes depressed..."
EFRC website, newsletters and tour guide

These breathtaking photographs capture the remarkable moments when a tiger bowed its head and placed a paw up to the hand of a small girl.

Taj obviously has a lot to say about the way he feels.

In my aviary I have a new cockatoo. I handfed him every night for 5 months (even though he's 24 years old) because he was having a hard time adjusting to a new home, new food, a new keeper. He was still working it out --not trusting--flapping wildly inside his cage before he'd step onto a perch, step onto my hand, and snuggle ... everyday reinforcing the same weirdness until I started petting him in the dark. Suddenly he has to FEEL his way and everything changed ... a breakthrough and ultimately we're building trust very quickly now. Each species is different. Each bird is different. I guarantee they have emotional lives and personalities that are unique.