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Photo show links people and animals in quake

By Wang Zhuoqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-26 07:37

Farmer Pu Wenbin had never flown before joining a group of 22 people rescuers airlifted to safety 10 days after the Wenchuan earthquake.

The 65-year-old left behind everything except for his dog.

The man and his pet both looked out the window as the plane took off and watched as their homes grew smaller and smaller with distance.

A photographer onboard captured their sad and anxious expressions. The image is one of 60 displayed in the Anthem of Life - Humans and Animals Bound by the Wenchuan Earthquake exhibition in Beijing, organized by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

The photographs capture moments in which rescue teams searched for dogs trapped in debris as well as those in which rescue dogs searched for people trapped in debris.

The worst natural disaster in decades claimed hundreds of thousands of animals' lives, in addition to more than 70,000 human ones.

And animals have proven integral to the rescue operations and reconstruction projects in Sichuan.

"People and animals have become closer since the disaster," said Guo Tieliu, a photographer from the Beijing News who traveled to quake-affected areas.

"The care and respect of the animals is the care and respect for life itself."

Nature Conservancy consultant Zhang Kejia said exhibitions highlighting animals are still rare in China, where animal welfare issues have only recently become a priority.

"The animals in the photos demonstrate that people have developed another form of love," she said.

Xie Duanduan, who visited the show, said the images conveyed powerful messages about how the disaster affected all life forms.

"It shows that animals are part of us, part of the society. It is a good thing that we care more about them now," said nationally leading photographer He Yanguang, who has three photos in the show.

"It's uncommon for photographers to focus on animals, but in the earthquake, the emotions of animals and people were linked, and they leaned on one another. That is why these photos are so touching."

IFAW Asia Regional director Grace Gabriel said the exhibition is intended to raise awareness about the living things that share the world with humankind.

"It tells of the change of the nation's spiritual world, and the ethics and civilization of a country."