Personally, I’ve been a little overwhelmed by the AI slop lately… the videos, the totally disruptive concepts of animals that twist reality. At times it makes me feel sad that we’re destroying the natural world at unprecedented rates in reality, while now also replacing what’s left of it with sensationalised and romanticised portrayals of nature. People cuddling lions, fake moments of connection with animals, all for likes, views, and what else? It’s a dangerous game, because yes, in general sharing pretty images of animals is important. We love animals. Landscapes, the places they live, amazing. That’s why they get all the likes, right? But on the one hand, it gives an unrealistic depiction of the state of nature. It makes it look like there is abundance out there when there isn’t. Nature, our Earth’s systems, are struggling now more than ever. And this year, I’ve seen so much of it firsthand. From coral bleaching and forests under stress to places that used to be full of life now sitting strangely quiet. So yes, these are pretty images of nature. But it’s not the whole story. These images in this post are not the whole story… I want you to keep that in mind next time you are looking at work like this. What you don’t see is the part of the jungle where an orangutan used to live that has been converted to palm oil. You don’t see the lions navigating conflict with people, or the elephants struggling to move through corridors where roads and new infrastructures have been built. These animals need room to roam, but we so often don’t give it to them. And we need them to roam, for our planet to sustain life. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve also seen a lot of hope this year. Incredible projects that aim to promote coexistence. Heck, I’m even working on a film called ‘Shared Space’ about that very topic. We just wrapped production and can’t wait to share it next year! And it’s what has kept me inspired. To keep pushing. To keep sharing real stories of real animals and real people. So although this post is all about animals, keep this in mind. The real world is complicated. And that is exactly why it is worth protecting.