2020 was not the year any of us expected, but it reminded us why the We Animals Media (WAM) team do what we do. From Australian bushfires to historic pandemics, animal stories continue to emerge at the center of some of the most important issues of our time. When Covid first emerged, we quickly mobilized our photographic and multimedia content to educate as many people as possible on the links between animal agriculture and zoonotic diseases. 

While international travel has all but come to a halt, the WAM team has been focusing our efforts on strengthening our foundation and expanding our global community. We were blown away by the success of our book HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene, which recently won Photography Book of the Year by Pictures of the Year International. We’ve also been working on our new and absolutely stunning world class stock library, due to launch in May which will include the work of many new global contributors.

Regionally, we were able to send photographers and filmmakers on assignment close to their homes. We documented fish aggregating devices and the aquaculture industry in the Mediterranean. In North Carolina, we documented animals at slaughter weight with nowhere to go as a result of Covid outbreaks in slaughterhouses and processing plants. 

In early 2021 we released a short film called Moving Animals, which follows me as I document the long-distance transport of animals. It was filmed and produced by my talented friend and colleague Miguel Endara. Together with the organization Eyes on Animals, we spent a week at the Bulgarian-Turkish border, documenting a glimpse of the millions of animals who are transported south for slaughter. We also visited a Turkish slaughterhouse, which is never easy, but we do it because the proof we create galvanized people and fuels change. 

As WAM grows in leaps and bounds, we are ever more equipped to share the urgency of animal stories on a global scale. Currently, we have projects starting in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Thailand, and our Unbound Project is coming back to life after a year of hiatus. There is so much going on! We’re motivated, energetic, and hopeful.

And we can only do this with you by our side.

Thank you so much for your generous support!

Please reach out to us at any time. info@weanimals.org

Jo and the WAM team