Pikin, a juvenile lowland gorilla who was rescued from the bushmeat trade in Cameroon, is transported from a vet clinic to a large sanctuary enclosure. She was sedated during the move but woke up prematurely. Though she had likely never experienced being inside an automobile, she looked around drowsily and calmly, and then fell back to sleep in the arms of her trusted caretaker, Appolinaire Ndohoudou.
Pikin was rescued by Ape Action Africa, a non-profit organization that works on the front lines of conservation, saving primates from the illegal bushmeat and pet trades. A portion of the profits from the sales of this image will also go to Ape Action Africa, who currently care for over 300 primates.
Jo-Anne is an award-winning photojournalist, speaker, photo editor, and the founder of We Animals Media. She has visited over sixty countries to document our complex relationship with animals and is the author of the books We Animals, Captive, and HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene, and is the subject of the acclaimed Canadian documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine.
Follow Jo-Anne on Instagram @joannemcarthurphotography.