ANIMA – ENCOUNTERS WITH WILD ANIMALS IN PORTUGAL

ANIMA – ENCOUNTERS WITH WILD ANIMALS IN PORTUGAL – A myth is a story from the time when men and animals had no difference. To live in a shared land with other species with whom we cannot communicate is the most tragic, the most offensive, fault to the human heart and soul. Myths refuse to accept that condition as original. André Príncipe’s book – is in line with those myths. Meaningful encounters with animals in our land are now very difficult due to ignorance, cruelty, loss of habitat, utter disrespect, desire for domination and profit. When animals see us, they wisely fly away, run away, or turn their back to us. The photographs in this book are portraits using a normal lens that reproduces our field of vision. They are not about voyeuristically observing animal behavior, but an attempt to encounter animals as our equals. The images were taken across continental Portugal, the Azores and Madeira, over a period of 20 years. They are the result of a lot of patience, a lot of waiting, a lot of help from those who still know about animals. In Portuguese language, the word for portraits – retratos – means going back. On the land, we can still see traces of times when men and animals, psychedelically, lived together. These traces, statues, drawings found their way to this book. They are a reminder of how things can be.