Thanks so much guys for your kind comments about my work. I really appreciate this opportunity to share my images on this site. Thanks to Leon and Susan for this opportunity.
Leon: I'm sorry it took so long. <*blush*>
I giggled when I read Vicky's comment about wanting to marry Moonie. I'm afraid to say that Pumpkin has already claimed Moonie's heart. The two are very bonded. Although Moonie is blind, he senses immediately if Pumpkin isn't in the pen they share and he gets rather agitated when she isn't around. He is inconsolable until she returns.
I plan on interviewing the human caregivers for these animals and including their comments in my final presentation of this work. In the meantime, here is some additional info about the sheep in my image(s) snipped from an e-mail I received from Debra White, director of the Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary in Norton, MA, where the sheep had lived:
?Sheep can live until 14 or 15 if in good health. (But these sheep) were crated at a [factory] farm and left in urine and feces. They grew up here from the age of 8 months and were loved and well cared for medically. They suffered from severe arthritis because they had been cramped in a cage at an early age so their bones had not developed properly. They were going to be shipped out to be leg of lamb but we rescued them before that happened. Horrible story, but that is the reality of it.?
Sadly, these sheep passed away at the age of 12 shortly after I photographed them....
If you're curious to learn the ages of the animals or see more images from this series (which is still in its early stages), check out the elderly animal section of my web site:
http://www.isaleshko.com/Portfolio.cfm?nK=9318 Thanks again for your support for this work!
Best,
Isa
