Kowiachobee Animal Preserve

A caravan of vehicles set route to the Kowiachobee Animal Preserve one Saturday a little past 8 am, loaded with 30 photographers and enough enthusiasm to make some 15,000 clicks in two hours.

This Non-Profit enterprise—established in May 2001— offers residents and visitors of Naples an educational place to learn about the steady decline of certain species of exotic and endangered beings. They house and care wild animals, as well as many domestic and farm animals.

Organized by the The Digital Photography & Imaging Club of Naples, we were invited to create images for a book that will be published by the preserve, hoping for donations to support the institution.

These are a few images from the bunch I created that morning. After checking out the whole place, I spent most of my time with Diablo, an 18 year-old beautiful and energetic constantly moving 7-foot large Jaguar, who instinctively kept trying to get me, standing at times less than a foot away from his roaring big mouth and overwhelming presence… just a wire fence between us.

Call the people of this animal preserve, support them with your donations. Ask for Manager John Slaby, the manager of the place, a knowledgeable animal caretaker.

Click for larger images.