Our Planet

Kiet Tran

My partner identified as Romina Vallejo. She is 19 years old student from Manta, Ecuador who have given me consent and permission to use her photo and statement as part of my Photo Voice project for HUM 2020.

This is the photo that I took from my trip to Sea World this Fall. It was my first time and the animal that I captured is truly breath taking. Did you know that we know more about outer space than our own planet. Life in the ocean can be so diverse and spectacular. Like humans, sea creatures have adapted and transformed themselves to survive. And this is the ultimatum of this evolution. I had never thought that a sea horse could be so colorful and vibrant. To me I feel like this creature is the peacock of the sea.

This is also a picture that I have the opportunity to capture on my trip to Sea World. Shark, the apex predator of the sea. I don’t think we need too much introduction for such ferocious animals. But did you know that you are more likely to die in a car accident than in a shark attack. The tag and image that associate with shark have always been this blood thirsty killing machine. But the truth is they are gentle and loving animals. Don’t let their size and jaw fool you for they are gentle giants. Sharks have roam in the Earth Ocean way before humans did. They hardly have changed since the age of the dinosaur. They are mother nature apex predators.

If shark the apex predator of the sea, then killer whale is the king of the sea. They are extremely intelligence animals who hunt in pact. Their intelligence is something that we are only starting to comprehend. They have proven to have the ability to work as a group and sophistically tackle other pray animal. Killer whale does not have any natural enemies, except for human of course. Global warming and over hunting have tremendously destroy killer whale habitat leading to countless death of many.

This was a comprehensive summary provided by my partner Romina Vallejo. Nature is beautiful in the most dividend way. Either predator or pray they all play a part in maintaining the balance of Earth eco system. Earth is a place we call home, but it is not just humans that live on this planet. There are also a lot of animals who call Earth home. With this in mind we need to raise awareness of what is happening to our planet. Illegal hunting, overfishing and abuse of natural resources have destroyed these animals’ natural habitat and delivered them closer to the brink of extinction every day. If we want to live together in harmony with these animals, we need to be aware of our everyday actions. Cut down the use of plastic, switching to reusable energy sources etc… It’s the little thing we do every day that is going to make sure Earth is healthy and continues to sustain the human species and countless other animals.