Wildlife Photographer Finds Peace Photographing Squirrels After Surviving Genocide

Niki Colemont, a wildlife Photographer Finds Peace photographing red squirrels like this daredevil squirrel in flight

Colemont is a 34-year-old wildlife photographer based in Belgium. He lives in a village called Diepenbeek. Colemont started photographing red squirrels about 5 years ago. While visiting his girlfriend’s grandmother, saw a bird diligently feeding and caring for its chicks.  He was intrigued by the devotion of the mother bird’s action. Then, a light bulb went off.  He wondered what it would be like to photograph and document suck wildlife experience. That opened the door to a whole new experience of adventure in the wild.

When Colemont turned 30, he bought himself a sigma 150 to 600mm telelens. He also bought a stealth gear square hide tent to help him get closer to wild animals.  “Buying these things was my big dream,” he said. Armed with all his camera and gears, the young wildlife photographer made his way into the woods.

One of Colemont’s favorite subjects to photograph is squirrels.  Many of the squirrels in his photographers live in his girlfriend’s grandmother’s gardens, while others are from different locations he visits to take pictures.  

Colemont is a self-taught photographer. He acquired his knowledge through trial and error. Although not a formally trained photographer, his photography skills are outstanding. This is evident in his many photographs of red squirrels. 

Colemont’s photographs brilliantly capture the red squirrels in their most dramatic and intimate moments. In one photo, he captures a squirrel flying through space with an acorn in its mouth. With ears raised and paws wide open, the squirrel appears to be saying, “I am out of here.”

The impressive daredevil-like nature of the red squirrels is revealed in another picture where a red squirrel in flight tries to catch a tree branch that seems too far to reach. This is obviously a desperate attempt by this intrepid squirrel to impress a female. Like many guys trying to impress a girl, he seems to have bitten off more than he could chew.  Fear is visible in his bulging eyes. Will he make it? With its bushy tail and body tilted outward, the squirrel’s aerodynamic performance seems to suggest that he made it.  

Colemont’s recent photographs of red squirrels show their flamboyance, courage, and acrobatic nature.  Many are captured flying through the air carrying acorns in their mouth while others dash through the grass as if chasing their own shadows. But not all the squirrels in Colemont’s photographs are restless, agile, and acrobatic. Some are just outright mischievous and self-absorbing.

Colemont’s pictures of squirrels provide enough proof that squirrels are extravagant.  The picture of a squirrel standing on the edge of a pond looking at itself in the water is bewitching. In its model-like pose, the showboat squirrel appears to be saying “looking good.” Its beautiful bushy tail and clean fur are clearly reasons to be sassy.

Like many of the squirrels in his photographs, Colemont is a cheerful, lively, and jolly good fellow.   He appears a happy young man in many of his personal photographs across the web. His Instagram profile photo, for instance, shows him smiling. There is also that hilarious picture of a squirrel jumping over his head. Even Colemont cannot stop laughing at the rather bold squirrel. It is also easy to conclude that Colemont is a side-splitting fellow. His photographs of squirrels taken in environments he staged for photographing say a lot about the photographer himself. It is amusing to see squirrels interacting with various objects. While some are kissing flowers, others are stealing peanuts, eating Nutella, or fussing with plastic dinosaurs.  There is even one carrying a syringe. “Vaccine anyone,” it seems to say.

Childhood Trauma

However, joyful as Colemont may appear, he carries within him a deep scare of a traumatic past.  Deep within, this young wildlife photographer has gone through some trying times that would break even the strongest of men.  

Niki Colemont was born in Rwanda in 1986. Four years after his birth, Rwanda descended into the bloodiest civil war that later led to a genocide. The Rwandan Genocide took the lives of over 700,000 people, including Colemont’s father. The catastrophe of the Rwandan Genocide is well-documented by journalists, and it inspired Hotel Rwanda.  

Colemont began experiencing trauma at a very young age. His mother died giving birth to him. After the death of his father, Colemont’s aunt began taking care of him and his sister. At the height of the civil war, 4-year-old Colemont and his 9-year-old-sister were taken to an orphanage by their aunt for adoption. Eventually, they made it to Belgium as refugees. For many years, the two were happy in their new home. Sadly, Colemont’s sister died in 2019. She was just 38 years old. Her death rekindled past trauma and grief in Colemont. His sister’s death was like losing an important piece of himself. Although he continues to miss his sisters, he tries to find solace in photography.

Beyond Colemont’s love of photography, he also finds peace photographing squirrels. At his young age, the wildlife photographer has experienced trauma in a way many people have not. Nonetheless, he continues to find bright spots in life. It is fitting that photographing the joyful red squirrels would be therapeutic.