What is WACC?

WACC stands for Wild / Attracted / Controlled / Captive. It's a simple way to be transparent about the context of a wildlife photo. It's easy to assume (and hope) that wildlife photos are truly of "wild life" but that's not always the case, and being less than honest can have unintended consequences, like convincing others to try and get close to a wild animal for a shot and putting the animal or themselves at risk. WACC lets wildlife photographers protect the animals we care about while being honest with our viewers. All we have to do is determine what context was true when we took the photo and then share it. 

Wild

The animal lives in nature and was free from direct human interaction or intervention -- including in the moments that led to the photograph. 

Attracted

The animal lives in nature but was attracted to a spot through human action (such as human-placed foods or mimicked or recorded calls).

Controlled

The animal lives in nature but is/was directly handled by or under the control of humans -- momentarily or for their entire lives. Examples: a bird caught for banding or a managed herd at the National Bison Range.

Captive

The animal is "housed" and is directly cared for by and dependent on humans -- temporarily or for their entire lives. Examples: an animal at a rescue / rehab center or in a zoo / aquarium.

How do I share it?

Share it however you want to!

There's no right or wrong way. It doesn't matter how it's shared; what matters is that it's being shared. 

I'm all for simplicity, so every time I post a photo, I include a single line in the caption and a hashtag. I also keyword my photos with the same text I use for hashtags. 

And when I'm sharing images in a class I'm teaching or looking at them with someone in person, it's not about commenting on every single one (I don't randomly interject "hashtag waccattracted") but I do try to make a note or disclaimer for any photo that isn't Wild. It doesn't have to be much: "They were coming to the bird feeders" or "This was taken at the Woodland Park Zoo." 

#hashtags / keywords

  • waccwild
  • waccattracted
  • wacccontrolled
  • wacccaptive

Examples

#waccwild

#waccattracted
(attracted to bird seed at house)

#wacccontrolled
(held during bird banding for research / tracking)

#wacccaptive
(Minnesota Raptor Center; imprinted on humans and could not be released)

Ask others to share it, too.

When you see another wildlife photo without the context noted, ask the photographer about it. Having people ask can help others be more transparent and thoughtful about what they share -- especially if they care about the animals they're photographing. And feel free to point them to this page so they can learn more and join the effort!

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