British Wildlife Centre – Part I

The British Wildlife Centre, in Surrey is a fantastic place housing a collection of native wildlife. On days where they are not open to the public they run photography days, where the keepers take people inside the enclosures to get up close to the animals.

Photography of captive animals is often a controversial subject amongst wildlife photographers, some see it as cheating, and some unscrupulous photographers try to pass photos of captive animals off as wild – very misleading for the rest of us.

I personally like my wildlife wild, enjoying the experience of watching animals in their natural environment, but there are benefits to photographing captive animals. Firstly, by photographing a captive animal, you’re not out disturbing any wildlife. Second, an individual that is habituated to humans will often let you get closer and get images that would not be possible in the wild, and finally it’s great practice – you can really observe how the animal moves, how it behaves, it’s size and character, so when you do encounter that species in the wild you’ll be prepared.

I have no problem with photographing captive animals, as long as photographers declare that the images were taken in controlled conditions. Honesty is the best policy in my opinion, so the images in this post are of captive animals.

I’m starting with the Otters, it was great to get close to these normally shy and elusive creatures. The light was pretty harsh for photography, but I managed a few shots.

Check back tomorrow for part 2….!

(Click images to view larger)

 

Subscribe

Sign up to receive blog notifications and exclusive content!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Similar Posts

  • Back to the Fen

    My first visit to the Fen in a long time, it was great to pick the camera up and get out again. The reedbeds are quiet now that the warblers have departed for somewhere warmer, and everywhere has a gentle autumnal glow. With little going on I pick out a Reedmace head to photograph, and…

  • Galleries Updated

    Festive and New Years greetings to you all! The holiday season has given me some time to update the galleries with some of my favourite images from 2011. Take a look at ‘Feather‘ and ‘Nature Close Up‘ . In 2012 I’ll be working on expanding the ‘Fur’ gallery, and I have plenty of other projects…

  • Bempton Cliffs

    I have only ever visited Bempton out of season, when the Gannets still swoop and soar, but not much else is around. Trips to the rugged, windswept cliff tops have caused both sunburn and a soaking on previous occasions. From May the area is a seabird city, with half a million nesting birds. The Gannets…

  • Hello Deer

    I’ve had a few new visitors to my blog recently, so I just wanted give you a warm welcome to my website, and also to introduce my local patch, where I do a lot of my photography – Redgrave and Lopham Fen. Redgrave and Lopham Fen is the largest remaining valley fen in England, and…

  • Keeping it local

    Out and about with my new camera yesterday. Decided to upgrade to the D300s, and I’m really impressed with it. I have to admit I was sorry to see my trusty D200 go, it’s been a real reliable workhorse for me. The D300s is great though, better noise handling and weather proofing, larger LCD screen…

  • Two Turtle Doves

    Just a quick midweek update, you can purchase these chocolate Turtle Doves, made by Chocally, in support of Operation Turtle Dove. Take a look here: Chocolate Turtle Doves They look delicious!     If you like what you see, please consider sharing!

One Comment

Leave a Reply