The Goat

In the North face of the Mullaghmore, along the Burren, I found the most rocky, broken, desolate landscape I've ever seen in Ireland. Yet, it was alive with the local goats, sprinkled all along the landscape. More alive it was as this is breading season. Clashes of male goats sporadically echoed in the surrounding hills, with battles aggressively fought until one challenger backed up, typically injured, limping on broken limbs and with its fate shamefully sealed as Irish stew... The other victorious, until contested again.
Then, there was this guy, just there, coloring the landscape, enjoying the sunshine and the wind and peacefully admiring the local mayhem.

The Burren, Claire Co., Ireland
2019, September

Shetland Pony

You never know what type of beast you came across with when trekking through some hilly grasslands.

Horse, Shetland pony breed - Equus ferus caballus

Clonalkity (Cloich na Coillte), Ireland
2017, November

Garrano – III

Curious young Garrano horse. Looking proud on his pose but still clumsy in its steps.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Garrano - II

Profile of a dominant male Garrano.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Garrano - I

Whenever you walk in Cabreira Mountains, they are always there. Their grasslands, their hills and their mountains.

Horse, Garrano breed; Cavalo, da raça Garrano – Equus caballus L.

Vieira do Minho, Portugal
2017, April

Life wasted

While keeping this blog as a photographic journal, the main purpose of it is to celebrate life, in its most natural form. But I can also use it to raise awareness on how fragile life can be. I had caught a glimpse of a wolf in its natural habitat before. However, I never had the privilege of actually looking at one. I never though this first experience would be so dramatic and filled with this dreary felling of loss. While trekking with some friends in the magnificent Cabreira Mountains, one of us stumbled upon a carcass of a young and magnificent wolf. No wounds, no signs of starvation, just a life that stood still and started to decay. We all reached a more obvious hypothesis of poisoning. This is a forbidden but a common and very devastating practice of local people that disregard wildlife in determinant of their cattle (sometimes, just irrational fear and inherited cultural myths).
The beauty of this young wolf strikes me, even beyond its death. Its dense fur with its shades of brown colours, the massive size of its paws and length of its legs, the perfect form of its ears and its pointy nose, the long tail… Only the eyes, already distant in another world seemed wrong in the moment. This young’s wolf life is now wasted, stolen in some cruel and indifferent act of men.
Cultural habits, ignorance and the total disrespect for what truly brings value to this woods and mountains must change. And this change must occur before such value is lost… forever.

Enquanto mantenho este blog como um diário fotográfico, o seu maior propósito é celebrar a vida na sua forma mais natural. Mas também posso-o usar para gerar atenção para o quão frágil a vida pode ser. Eu já tinha visto um lobo, antes, de relance, no seu habitat natural. No entanto, nunca tinha tido o privilégio de poder olhar para um. Nunca pensei que esta primeira experiência pudesse ser tão dramática e preenchida de um tremendo sentimento de perda. Enquanto caminhava com uns amigos pela Serra da Cabreira, um de nós encontrou uma carcaça de um jovem lobo. Sem qualquer ferimento ou sinais de fome, apenas uma vida que parou ali e começou a decair. Todos chegámos à mais óbvia hipótese de um caso de envenenamento. Uma prática proibida mas comum e absolutamente devastadora por parte de populações locais que desrespeitam a vida selvagem em detrimento do seu gado (ou, às vezes, apenas por medos irracionais e mitos culturais herdados).
A beleza deste jovem lobo atingiu-me, mesmo além da sua morte. O seu pêlo denso, com os tons de terra, o tamanho maciço das suas patas, a forma perfeita das suas orelhas e um nariz pontiagudo, a longa cauda… Só os olhos, já distantes e num qualquer outro mundo, pareciam errados no momento. Esta jovem vida está agora desperdiçada, roubada num qualquer cruel e indiferente acto de homens.
Os hábitos culturais, a ignorância e o total desrespeito por aquilo que verdadeiramente traz valor às florestas e montanhas têm de mudar. E esta mudança tem de ocorrer antes que este valor esteja perdido… para sempre.

 Iberian wolf, lobo-ibérico – Canis lupus signatus

Serra da Cabreira, Portugal
2016, Novembro

Barrosã Veal

This is very common companion while trekking in Gerês. Although it’s a domestic cow, Barrosã cattle mostly wonder freely in the mountains. Here, small veal is loosely accompanied by its mother in high altitude pastures. A cute and curious character.

 Barrosã Cow, Vaca Barrosã (PT) – Bos taurus

Lapela, Gerês, Portugal

2011, June