The Transference of Landsharks

The Transference of Landsharks is about human behaviour towards wildlife; in particular the concept of ‘relocation’ as a solution for animals impacted by human development and habitat loss.

When an animal is relocated is it left in a foreign place, and in the territory of other animals. Disorientated, the relocated animal often tries to find their way back home, which leads them into dangerous areas and roadways; many do not survive.

There are other more compassionate ways that we can coexist with wildlife: we can consciously decide to be better cohabitants of the land. Simply look to wildlife rehabilitators and conservation organizations for guidance, they are pleading for us to become better stewards every day.

I believe that there is a correlation between our regard for wildlife and how we consider ourselves in relation to the planet. In viewing wildlife as a nuisance or a personal inconvenience, we are subscribing to speciesism: us versus them hierarchical thinking that leads to perpetual destruction.

It is becoming clearer every day that there is a conceptual shift required to preserve the planet, a de-centering process that needs to occur in our species. The shift will occur when humans recognize that we are not exempt or independent from the living world around us: we are part of it, we are extensions of it, no different from any other living form. Cultivating a deep compassion for the animals that we do not know is where it all begins.