Jo-Anne McArthur: What We Can’t Un-See

Species Unite will be back next week, June 2nd, with a brand new season. Until then, we are re-sharing some of our favorite episodes. Today's is a conversation with Jo-Anne McArthur.

 

Jo-Anne McArthur is an award winning photojournalist and the founder of We Animals Media. For 20 years she has been photographing and bearing witness to our complex relationship with animals.

She’s worked in over 60 countries in just about every industry one can imagine - including: fur farms, factory farms, bear bile farms, zoos, rodeos, circuses, and marine parks with the mission to make the lives of these invisible animals visible.

Her images tell the stories of unseen suffering, the stories of what happens when we stop paying attention, of what hopelessness looks like, and of thousands of little lives that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

She is also co-founder of the Unbound Project and the author of two books, We Animals and Captive. And, she was the subject of Liz Marshall’s acclaimed documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine.

I have been a super-fan of Jo-Anne’s for years, so it felt like a real honor to be able to spend this time with her. I learned a lot in this conversation, about suffering, about empathy, and mostly, about grace. I hope that you will be as moved by Jo-Anne and her work as I am.

Learn More About We Animals Media Learn More About The Unbound Project Jo Anne’s Books: We Animals Captive Liz Marshall’s Documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine