NZ fur seal pup (Arctocephalus forsteri)

[Ken MT]

Image of a fur seal pup taken at a fresh water pool near Kaikoura, where adult females leave their pups in safety in a creche, while the adults are at sea getting food. Conditions very dark (ISO 3200, 1/50 sec, f4.5).

More information at http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/...ur-seal/facts/

[Donald]

Lovely image, Ken. The light on the pup's fur is great.

I'm also very impressed that the government devotes resources to providing such high quality information and actually has a department called the Department of Conservation. At a UK level we have the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs currently headed up by a right wing minister who cares little for the environment unless it contributing economically and who's just refused to ban the use of substances that have been proven to be contributing to the destruction of the bee population. He also made a complete mess of the badger cull experiment that was supposed help eradicate Bovine TB in cattle. That pilot programme has now been quietly abandoned. As predicted by opponents, the whole thing was a farce. The cost of each badger culled being over £4,000.

Interestingly, the nature/wildlife photography network in the UK is strongly behind a petition to have the current minister sacked and replaced by someone who actually cares about the environment. There are requests to sign up to the petition coming through on Facebook from a number of the professional togs.

[Colin Southern]

I'm also very impressed that the government devotes resources to providing such high quality information and actually has a department called the Department of Conservation.

As usual though, there are strong political and self-serving agendas with them. The standing joke around here is "A developer is someone who wants to build a house in the woods -- a conservationist is someone who already HAS a house in the woods"; and the latter always opposes the former. It's almost as if - at the core - they won't be happy until all the land is returned to the animals and pesky humans are banished from the planet.

[John 2]

And then there is the new law just going through the Lords that makes anyone not walking straight down the road with their eyes to the front, a public nuisance. But I digress. This is a very nice image. Nice light, nicely caught. Has it had any noise reduction? Just a bit of softness apparent but that could be the ISO.

[Shadowman]

Very nice, thanks for the additional information.

[IzzieK]

How cute is that! Good shot...

[Bobobird]

Firstly that is a good shot under less than ideal conditions.

Now to the politics - the problem with a democratic society is that these people are there to return favours once they have been voted in. Because they know average Joe is unable to do anything about it, even the less corrupt eventually succumb.

[bnnrcn]

Very cute image Ken,thanks for sharing with us

[jcuknz]

A good shot Ken ... makes me want to pay a visit up there myself instead of going overseas.

[Ken MT]

A good shot Ken ... makes me want to pay a visit up there myself instead of going overseas.

Hope for the fur seals after the Kaikoura earthquake, so may be looking good

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/nz-e...au-point-seals

[madcrow]

Beautiful image and so well taken. Good job of work.

[bje07]

Beautiful image and so well taken. Good job of work.

+1
Jean

[Wavelength]

So nice a shot