Shadow of Survival

uly 2022 | Pongola Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Perched on a dead tree, this white-backed vulture rests in monochrome stillness, an ancient figure in a world that’s moving too fast. Of the six vulture species found in South Africa, all now face a future marked by vulnerability, endangerment, or extinction. This image is a quiet reminder that not all losses leave loudly. Some disappear slowly, feather by feather, shadow by shadow.