The photograph highlighted in this amazing article is one that has been the cause of hundred debates over the past years on the internet.
There are also a few different stories and ideas and theories about where the photo originated.
As disturbing as the photo is, there is a true story behind it.
Two men in Hoi An were walking around taking photos of a major flood, one of the worst Vietnam had ever seen, which happened a few years ago.
The two men were taking photos of the destruction when the little white kitty in this photo came near one of the men and begged for help.
And so the well-known photo, as well as the other photographs which appear below, were taken.
So, what happened to the kitten? Here comes the real truth.
The name of the main who took the photographs is Graham Lavery,
In Mr. Lavery’s own words:
“In Vietnam, the aspect of “pet” ownership is a very new thing, because before the American War this was a in fact unheard of concept in many areas. Dogs, as a main example, are a food source much like pigs, sheep or cattle are here. Since the development of the “pet” concept, there has been an eruption in numbers with a great many stray and feral cats and dogs roaming the country in different states of health, which is becoming a large issue in and of itself.
Given the general cultural attitude toward animals like cats, the large property damage during the floods, and the big deal of human hardship that was experienced at the time this photograph was captured, it can be seen how a kitty such as this little one would pass well under the radar and slip pretty far down the priority lists of most people who were actually striving to survive.
‘When my best friend and I came upon this kitty, it was obvious what its fate would be given the given circumstances, a situation that brings with it several ethical questions that have no really simple answer, mainly: “What to do?”
‘As tourists in the area who were in Vietnam briefly (two weeks in Charles’s case), the common sense of helping an animal such as this become a little more cloudy. If you take it in your home, how do you care for it? What do you do when you leave? Where do you care for it? Does rescuing it is in accordance with the practices and ethics of the local people (it is their country after all)?
‘These are hard questions to answer, and I would submit they become more difficult when you are in disaster zones or combat areas and instead of a kitty the faces staring at you are those of women or kids, either wounded or in extreme poverty … It can rip one’s guts out, I assure you, and there are no simple answers. Given the ability, I’m sure I’d have adopted half of Afghanistan by now. Charles is a Paramedic who has traveled the globe through his career, so between us, we tend to see things similarly in this regard.
‘After a short discussion, it was decided to let nature take its course and leave the little kitty to its own devices, whatever the outcome. Some will agree, some will not, but that was our decision based on our entire experiences over the years. What became of it ultimately? I can’t answer that with certainty, but I can guess.
‘In the end, we are all faced with choices, some more difficult than others. In photography – especially in war, or in other difficult circumstances – there are some main ethical implications of even taking a photograph: Questions of moral imperative, intent and dignity. If you do take the shot, do you “put it out there?” I have hard drives full of photos that will never see the light of day because of this, and countless more that I never took at all given the circumstances.”
Whether or not anyone came along afterward to help the cat is also unclear.
The moral of the story is this. The desperate kitty you see in this photo every now and then here online really needed help.
Whether or not the kitten ever got the help it needed, will probably remain a mystery.
We can all only hope that the poor little kitty was rescued by someone else.
source : – Daniel Torres, The Best Cat Page
