A few days ago, a heartbreaking news story went viral on my feed. A Sumatran tapir, a naturally shy, rare, and protected creature was spotted wandering into a residential area. Stripped of its sanctuary, this gentle animal had been forced out of its home because the forest it relied on had been completely destroyed and ravaged by human greed.
Sadly, the story ended in tragedy. Instead of receiving protection or a safe passage back, the confused and terrified creature was chased down, hunted, and reportedly ki**ed by a group of local residents.
The intrusion of wildlife into human settlements is not an isolated incident, it is a silent, desperate scream from a dying ecosystem. It breaks my heart to witness this cycle repeat itself. These animals are not just residents of the forest, they are vital pillars holding the entire ecosystem together. Losing even a single mature individual is never a small loss. It deals a devastating blow to a highly vulnerable population and erases a crucial piece of that species future survival.
This work is heavily dominated by the color red. In this work, red is not just an aesthetic choice. It is the color of urgency, danger, and spilled blood. It represents the literal and metaphorical fire consuming their sanctuary. By placing the tiger within this overwhelming red domain, I wanted to capture the sheer desperation of a king backed into a corner, bearing witness to a stolen home. This is both a visual tribute and an elegy for every wild soul lost in the shadow of human expansion.
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