A Sad Discovery On An Otherwise Pleasant Afternoon

Posted by Twelvebit (Victoria, United States) on 26 April 2008 in Animal & Insect.

I turned around to find this dead squirrel in the gutter in front of the white church posted earlier in the week. For some reason it struck me as particularly sad. Perhaps the condition of the body suggested something gratuitous instead of something accidental.

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Comments (10)

Observing from Chester, United Kingdom

It's not pleasant, but I suppose thats the reality of life. At least you have made this observation.

26 Apr 2008 10:48am

@Observing: Precisely. My intention is compassion and not simply voyeurism, but perhaps this is not adequately communicated in the image.

Alun Lambert from cheshire, United Kingdom

MMMmmmm lovely

26 Apr 2008 5:14pm

@Alun Lambert: My intention is compassion and not simply voyeurism, but perhaps I have failed to communicate my intent in this image?

Amir from Tehran, Iran

Such an unfortunate scene. Life goes on, with or without it, as it will with or without us.

26 Apr 2008 11:18pm

@Amir: Where have you been? Everything alright? What did Hobbes say: life is nasty, brutish, and short?

MadScientist from Düsseldorf, Germany

Poor one! I think they have a risky life: when they jump from tree to tree, even the slightest mistake can be the last one.

26 Apr 2008 11:40pm

@MadScientist: I've seen a lot of dead squirrels lately, even in the neighborhood. It's hard to believe people can't avoid hitting them with their cars at the driving speeds in residential neighborhoods, and yet, like this one, there are no visible signs of death. It makes me wonder if the local squirrel population is being hit by some kind of disease.

Henry from Boston, United States

Gritty and real, good job.

27 Apr 2008 2:50am

@Henry: Thanks.

Kathryn Howell from Kingwood, United States

Squrriel is better than crow. Nice shot!

27 Apr 2008 5:31pm

@Kathryn Howell: For eating you mean?

Margie from Auckland, New Zealand

Poor squirrel. Good reality shot.

27 Apr 2008 7:02pm

@Margie: Thank you. It's intended as compassion and not simply voyeurism.

danthro from Suburbia, United States

that's really disturbing

28 Apr 2008 3:21am

@danthro: What's even more disturbing is that to some people it isn't disturbing.

Mortola from SoCal, United States

yikes! i see a dead squirrel. looks like someone did some bad things to this poor animal. reminds me of a dead pitbull i found not too long ago, it obviously was a fighting dog, carcass stuffed in plastic box then left on sidewalk. smell was not too amusing. i should post that photo.

28 Apr 2008 7:36am

@Mortola: Killed perhaps in a dog fight, like in the movie Amores Perros? Or simply abused. I'm a dog lover and I find dead dogs particularly disturbing; but I consider everything that is clearly not illegal to be a potential subject for photography, and I definitely would have taken pictures (I've also seen some things that if I encounter again when I've got a camera with me I'm going to photograph and send to the ASPCA in enough detail to facilitate a criminal prosecution) . Obviously, how the subject is treated has a great baring on the appropriateness of the image to the particular venue --though by using a term like "appropriate" I'm treading on much more complex and contentious ground.