Telling "We Animals" Stories: Interview with Jo-Anne McArthur (vegan), Part 2 of 4

“Then, there is a whole other category: the invisible animals, who we have a very close relationship with, and yet we fail to see them in our lives. We think of them as ‘our ribs’ or ‘wings,’ instead of the animal that they are. Or we think of them as a ‘fur trim’ instead of a fox or mink. These animals are completely invisible, and we use and abuse them worldwide every single day. And they aren’t represented anywhere; they’re invisible, we don’t see them in the media. And so, that became my mission: To illuminate the lives of these animals.” In 2013, Jo-Anne McArthur published her first book, “We Animals,” which was followed in 2017 by her second book entitled “Captive.” She has been awarded a range of commendations for her photography and activism, including the 2018 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, People’s Choice award. “For me, it was important to make a book specifically of this animal work to give it historical weight and significance, and not just to put the work out on social media.” “So, what we do with the images – and it’s not just me now, it’s several of us photographers and filmmakers – we put everything on the We Animals Archive. I think it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. There are about 12,000 video clips and photos of all sorts of industries in almost over 60 countries now, of our use and abuse, and sharing of space with animals. And the images are searchable by key word. And you get the high-res images for free. And again: it’s free.”