Michael Keel

I am a photographer/travel writer covering various stories. Unfortunately, my photography work only pays 35% of my bills while the rest is being earned working nights at a restaurant. I am working as hard as I possibly can to turn that 35% into 100%. And although some income is coming in, it doesn't allow me to do the projects/subjects I REALLY want to accomplish.

Myheart truly lies in protecting wildlife. Protecting wildlife is extremely important to me and there are two particular stories I would like to cover, but due to the funds involved, my current "filler-job"; it just seems impossible that I will ever reach my goal to get to these countries. Making people aware of wildlife problems through my new projects is very important and these programs need all the help they can get.

Firstly, I am asking for your help to fund me going to Africa, to follow, write and photograph Kate Cabot who works with the Lion Conservation Fund. There has been a 90% drop in Africa’s lion population in the past 20 years. They have developed a fascinating and very successful sustainable conservation project that works/partners closely with local indigenous people. Their Lion Warriors program, for instance, employs Moran warriors of the Samburu Maasai tribe to track and monitor lions instead of killing them, which was traditionally a sign of manhood and bravery. They are the only project that has reduced retribution killing of lions and other large predators to zero for over 6 years while most other regions are experiencing dramatic increases in lion killings due to wildlife-livestock conflict issues. Kate Cabot tracks lions on foot with the warriors in order to monitor their populations, movements, and to study their behavior. To photograph the tribes and lions she follows, has been an ongoing fire burning within me.

Secondly, I would like to document the Animals Asia group, volunteers, and staff saving the Moonbears in Vietnam to photograph and also write about for publication. The Moonbears, for years, in various locations have been trapped, caged, treated like garbage and farmed for their "bile." Many parts in Asia think that the bear’s bile is good for medicinal purposes. Another myth that is not true at all. The bears live in cages smaller than them, their gall-bladders are poked regularly with rusty instruments, they are abused and Animals Asia is making great efforts to find these "Moonbear Farms" close them, and save the bears.Over the course of the past three years, WSPA and member societies have surveyed hundreds of shops and companies in eight countries. A wide variety of products were found including manufactured bear bile medicines, bear bile powder, and bear gall bladders. Illegal bear products were most readily available in the U.S. (91%), Malaysia (78%), Japan (77%), and Singapore (74%), closely followed by Canada (67%), Indonesia (62%), Australia (49%) and Taiwan (30%).

These projects will take time and money to be written about, and to be approved for publication. My work has been printed internationally and I ask that you please help me with any amount, you possibly can, it is for a great cause and to help me spread awareness and achieve one of my dreams. The funds will go to equipment costs, plane flights, preparation and lodging costs.

Thank you so much for reading, wildlife protections means the world to me, photography is my life and I will never give up. There are many important stories I would like to read more about and see in publications more often. Help me do something that is important and not just another article about “Hollywood.” Help me push my career to the limits and to support real causes. Help me share with the world subjects that matter and to cover people/groups that are actually making a difference in the world.

You can see some of my work here and more about the issues below: 

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelKeelPhotography/

http://www.lionconservationfund.org/whoweare.html/