Small Mammals

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The small mammal team has arrived and the work is completely different then the others.  They are catch and release and its more of a study of the virus carried by the small mammals in the area.  I will take studio shots of the animals when it is an option, the stress of being handled a lot is hard on the little guys so the black background will only come in when the scientists think it is safe for the animal.

Chris and Peter are the two vets from the zoo and Rosalie and Wilfrid are Gabonese who will assist and i.d. the animals.  So far it seems to be two species with a shrew thrown in if we are lucky.  I am waiting for a larger fish tank for the studio work. I’m having fun taking photos of the teams work, I have never seen this kind of vet work before.  Drawing blood and taking feces/urine samples from tiny critters is no easy task.  Especially since they need to be safely knocked out first so they are not in pain.

I can be artistic with the large group and my 24mm, but that also means the tiny mice are hard to see…  Not to mention all the work is done in the field under the shade so there is the blinding sun in the background, which I work around.  The other side of the work is mostly macro with a single flash because I need to move around and not be in anyone’s way.  I am noticing there is a lot of clutter, which I don’t like in photos and it is not easy to work with.