Next for slaughter, Spain. Jo-Anne McArthur / mediadrumworld.com

By Liana Jacob

HEARTBREAKING photos from a new book lifts the lid on the ways wild animals have been held in captivity that are so distressing the photographer suffered PTSD as a result of taking them.

The emotional images depict a monkey locked up in a breeding facility, affluently dressed men holding cigars while watching a bull fight and an image of a chimpanzee in a sanctuary delicately holding a human hand.

Breeding facility in Laos. Jo-Anne McArthur / mediadrumworld.com

Other photographs include a forlorn fox trapped inside a cage at a Fur Farm and a petrified pig locked in a steel cage. In 2010, McArthur was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from the intensity of her photography but has since recovered.

More light-hearted photographs show the author, Jo-Anne McArthur, in a warm embrace with Orlando the cow and a chimpanzee being rescued from the Bushmeat Trade.

Jo-Anne McArthur and Orlando. Jo-Anne McArthur / mediadrumworld.com

McArthur is a Canadian photojournalist, animal rights activist and author.

Her aim for becoming a photographer changed from artistry to seeing her camera as her ā€œtool for creating changeā€.

ā€œIā€™ve encountered animals who endure and have endured unimaginable pain and suffering, and others fortunate enough to be cared for by loving and dedicated human companions,ā€ McArthur said.

ā€œIā€™ve been into the heart of industrial farming facilities and medical testing labs that have been constructed to wring as much profit for as little expenditure ā€“ of effort, tenderness or money ā€“ from the animals whose lives begin and end there.ā€

Fox fur farm, Europe. Jo-Anne McArthur / mediadrumworld.com

According to the 2016 Living Planet Report published by WWF, wildlife crime is now the fifth most profitable illicit trade in the world, earning roughly up to $7.8 billion annually.

ā€œBut Iā€™ve also found refuge with people and organisations who bring devotion, affection and resources to nurture and heal those who were broken and discarded,ā€ said Jo-Anne.

ā€œIā€™ve seen complete indifference and heartrending compassion, misguided ignorance and deliberate torture.

ā€œIā€™ve found myself in a world of bars and metal and stench and despair, and a world of space and earth and fresh air and hope.ā€

Rescued from the bush meat trade, Cameroon. Jo-Anne McArthur / mediadrumworld.com

The book, We Animals, is available on Amazon for Ā£26.