Atmospheric Rivers in California

Wet, muddy dairy cows stand in receding flood waters after a series of eight atmospheric rivers battered the state of California. Elk Grove, California, USA, January 13, 2023. Nikki Ritcher / We Animals Media

From late December until mid January, California was battered by severe floods. The result has been forced evacuations, flooded neighbourhoods and farms, and storm-related deaths. We Animals Media photojournalists Nikki Ritcher and Alex Akamine were on the ground in the Northern California flood zones documenting the impact on farmed animals and the rescue efforts of the local community.

What We Saw

Meet the Filmmakers

Filmmakers Thomas Machowicz and Sabina Diethelm, who created our latest short film

“Having grown up in Switzerland, I was used to seeing ads with happy farm animals on beautiful Swiss mountain pastures. It was eye-opening to witness just how far from the truth these depictions are.” - Sabina Diethelm

Meet Thomas and Sabina, the dynamic filmmaker-photographer duo behind our newest short film. We chatted with them about the inspiration for the project, which follows farmers making a transition away from animal agriculture, and about their personal journeys toward animal photojournalism.

Meet the Filmmakers

Seb Alex Fellowship

“Most people care about other animals, they just don't give it a thought when they sit down at their tables or open their closets, and that's because of how well industries hide what they do, so I am here to change those big walls into a screen you can look into.”

Seb Alex, our first animal photojournalism fellow, has released a personal video chronicling his experience documenting farmed animal industries in Indonesia, where animal farming is on the rise due to a growing population and increased demand for animal products.

“When I found out I was chosen for this opportunity I was incredibly honoured. It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.”

Our Latest Stories

We’re looking for a dynamic Fundraising Officer who is excited to support our mission to bring visibility to hidden animals. This key role oversees the growth and stewardship of our individual donor base and will work closely with our Founder and Communications Director to develop digital campaigns to support animal photojournalism. Applications close January 31.

Join Our Team

Art-Making Grants Available

The Culture & Animals Foundation (CAF) provides annual grants to scholars and artists using their intellect, creativity and compassion to build a deeper understanding of human-animal relationships and a greater respect for animal rights. Grants are still available and you can apply until January 31.

Apply Here

Become a We Animals Ally

The We Animals team is in this work for the long haul. This is why we’ve created a monthly stewardship program called the We Animals Allies. These allies are a critical group of supporters who help sustain our pioneering work year-round.

We invite you to become one of our allies! You will be making a difference for animals by supporting our mission and our team as we embark on investigations, expand our network of international partnerships, and continue to provide the movement with free access to the 20,000+ images and video in our stock collection.

We’d love your help building bridges between social movements, mentoring the next generation of animal journalists, and inspiring solutions that will result in a kinder and healthier world for all.

I’d Love to Join

First Image Critique Session

We Animals Media recently hosted the first-ever image critique and learning session for our contributing animal photojournalists, with feedback from Keith Wilson and Jo-Anne McArthur.

Jo-Anne is our founder and an award-winning photojournalist. Keith brought four decades of photographic experience to the event. Among his accomplishments: the founding of photographic magazines, the creation of many books including HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene and Photographers Against Wildlife Crime™

See the Image Critiques

Getting Animals in the Media

In Case You Missed It:

Jo-Anne's presentation given for Animals in Disasters last fall was just published. In her talk she highlights the stories so often overlooked when climate disasters are reported: that animals, too, are facing enormous casualties as the earth heats.

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