Reptil and Amphibian

Common toad (Bufo bufo)

A toad eagerly awaiting in his hole

The bufo bufo is a nocturnal animal. This animal spends the day hidden in a hole he dug, in abandoned burrows or simply under a stone or a dead piece of wood. This hiding place serves also as base for hunting. Indeed, the common toad hunts mainly on the lookout. He stays at the exit of his hole until a prey (fly, caterpillar, slug…) passes nearby. Then, he can catch the prey with his sticky tongue.

2009, Encounters, Laos Selection

Buddhist temple in Pakse, Laos

The stūpa (thât in laotian) from Wat Luang, Buddhist temple in Pakse, Laos

The stūpa is a Buddhist architectural structure and jaïna. Initially, a stūpa was a mausoleum containing a relic of Buddha. Today, just a few stūpa contain a relic of Buddha or an object that belonged to him. Nevertheless, they represent Buddha and remain monuments commemorating his death (the parinirvana).

The word stūpa is not known in all languages. In thai and in laotian, we call it “thât”, in Khmer “chetdei”, in Mongolian “suburghan”. In Sri Lanka, we use the term “dâgoba” to refer to this structure.

2015, Encounters, Mongolia Selection

Reunion among the Mongolian farmers

Important reunion around a sensitive debate.

This picture has been taken in 2015 in Oulan-Bator, capital of Mongolia

The big cattle owners, coming from all Mongolia, were once more gathered to discuss about the consequences of the last “white dzud” that just hit the country. A “dzud” is a climate phenomenon (sometimes drought in summer, sometimes cold winter, sometimes a combination of both) that lead to several deaths in the cattle. For the past few years, there have been numerous “dzud”. The annual losses can be counted in millions of animals.

2012, Peru Selection

Nevado Chachani, Arequipa Area, Peru

Nevado Chachani, Arequipa Area, Peru

Located in the south Peru, the Nevado Chachani volcano is the highest volcano in the Arequipa (6 075 meters of altitude). This volcano is a part of the central volcanic range of the Andes Cordillera. It is rare to have its top snowy. Since 2008, because of global warming, its last glacier has totally melted.