Innocent Killers

Innocent Killers - Beauty, innocence, power. These are the three qualities that, for me, define the fascination of predators. Yet to many people they will sound like contradictions. Few would deny their beauty or the elegance of their movements, perhaps without recognizing that much of their beauty lies in their power: they are perfectly put together, perfectly co-ordinated hunting machines, beautiful in their efficiency and dominance over their environment. But innocent? Yes. The most powerful predator, be it a tiger or a polar bear, can be incredibly tender with others of its kind. It is absurd to attribute human motives such as viciousness or cruelty to these animals. That is not why they kill. Predation is their nature, their very essence. They do it in order to survive.