Painted Dog Conservation Inc.

Australia

Somewhere in woodland, a gnarled old umtchibi spread aloft towards the Southern Cross, its tangled evergreen canopy twinkling to the light of a half moon.

..The silence was intense. To breathe was an effort.

..The sudden disturbance of dry leaves, some fresh, some burnt and tarnished by time and an unforgiving sun, was exaggerated by the acuteness of our senses. Adrenaline made it deafening.

..Suddenly they were there, lean, ghost like shapes in the moonlight with Mickey Mouse ears; wearing their dappled coats of black, tan and gold, like ink spots on blotting paper. Only a new day would reveal their full beauty. Only Man could hope to prevent their extinction.