Animal Captivity in Our Home

This collage reflects the animal abuse that occurs in our own home: the state of Louisiana. Above, I have included images of animal captivity that occurs in places the common Louisianian has visited. The first image at the top depicts the beloved Mike the Tiger. The picture to the far left shows the Audubon Aquarium in New Orleans. The picture at the bottom is of the tiger locked away at Tiger Truck Stop. The picture to the far right depicts the alligator exhibit at the Paragon Casino in Marksville. Most of these establishments have received criticism for the evidently harsh and unnatural environments the owners put their animals in. I included both a skull and bound hands to represent the death and suffering that captivity brings to exotic animals. I mentioned a quote by Dr. Archie Carr to emphasize that the lives of these animals are in our hands, and we are responsible for change. I made sure to add a black background to the part of the quote about the conscience of mankind to represent the impurity and evil of mankind's intentions. I focused the color red on the open blocks to symbolize blood and death. I attempted to make the images and shapes on this image seem formulaic and boxy as to symbolize cages and captivity. I hope to convey to the audience that this particular animal captivity is happening right in front of our eyes and somehow some of us are still blind to it.