Photographer Page

Mélanie Wenger

Simon’s Town, South Africa, is home to a large breeding colony of African penguins. Some have become habituated to humans, settling in domestic gardens and wandering into homes. A few guesthouses are capitalizing on this, using the penguins’ presence as a selling point, but penguin experts warn that this habituation leads to the birds crossing roads or being struck by cars. Peak tourism season coincides with the birds’ annual molt, a summertime event when the birds are unable to forage for several weeks, potentially making them more vulnerable to stress. (From “Africa’s only penguins face an uncertain future,” October 2021.)

A sedated Arabian oryx in a trailer at 777 Ranch in Texas awaits transport to another facility. Extinct in the wild, Arabian oryxes are bred, bought, and sold on many Texas ranches. Michael Rann, the nephew of the ranch’s owner, cares for the ranch’s 6,000 animals. Even though Rann says he realizes that hunting fees are the ranch’s primary source of income, losing animals to hunters can be painful. “I wish that the animals I raised weren’t shot,” he says. “But it is what it is. I know what I signed up for.” (From “A behind-the-scenes look at Texas’ exotic animal ranches,” July 2020.)

A sedated zebra is lifted by a helicopter at a Texas ranch called Sexy Whitetails, near San Angelo. The zebra is one of approximately a million exotic animals that populate ranches across the state. The animals are frequently bought, sold, and traded among ranches. Many are available for hunters to kill, for hefty prices. (From “A behind-the-scenes look at Texas’ exotic animal ranches,” July 2020.)

A sedated zebra is lifted by a helicopter at a ranch called Sexy Whitetails, near San Angelo, Texas. The wildness and heft of exotic hoofed wildlife make them difficult to corral and move, which has led to a lucrative subsector: transportation.

The coffin of a woman who died from COVID-19 awaits transport to the crematorium. She died two months after her husband, and her family decided not to attend the small funeral. They couldn’t face another death from the virus.

Dr. Spihlmann visits Louis Claudeîerre in his home for a check-up after he was released from the hospital for a stomach problem. He will be hospitalized again the next day.

Dr. Spihlmann visits Lucie Pierré in her room at a nursing home. During the pandemic, all residents have been confined to their rooms with no visitors, but the staff are trying to help them maintain human contact.

As the coordinating doctor at a nursing home, Dr. Spihlmann has been testing residents and staff for COVID-19 as well as overseeing logistics and care.

To decompress from her work, Dr. Spihlmann started playing the piano again for the first time in 15 years. Her husband and two teenaged sons try to help her deal with the stress.

Dr. Spihlmann visits Roxane Kirschenmeyer, a patient with COVID-19, in her home. She has been suffering from virus symptoms for a week and her condition has worsened in the last 24 hours. The closest hospital is 35 minutes away.