I would have never expected that my path as an equine photographer leads me to a place where the stables have to be leopard-proof. Yes, you read right: leopard-proof. But here I was, in the middle of a beautiful jungle near Nagarhole Nationalpark in India. During the day the rescue horses of The Backwater Sanctuary are able to roam freely around the camp or on their big pasture at the Back Water and surroundings, but at night they all have trade their freedom for safety. When you live in the jungle you have to learn to co-exist with everything that was there before you. This also means to respect all animals - including predators - when sharing a habitat with them. We are all in this together.

Zoha and her team pours their entire heart and time into healing both physical and mental wounds of the animals. The stories of the horses are shocking, heartbreaking, but so important to share. For example Boris, who is a former race horse which was owned by a family that didn’t know how to treat horses right. He's my favorite (but don't tell the other horses). Another pony, Sawyer, lost his eyesight because children chased him down with stones. Another touching story is that of the donkey „Legstump“, whose front leg is misshapen because his hoof was melted in the fire of burning plastic. He passed away in 2020 - after some happy and fulfilling years at the sanctuary and after he touched so many hearts, such as mine.