In 1993, photojournalist Kevin Carter captured one of the most haunting images of famine: The Vulture and the Little Girl. Taken in Sudan during a devastating famine, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph shows an emaciated child collapsed on the ground, while a vulture lurks nearby.
The image sparked global outrage, symbolizing the horrors of hunger and the ethical dilemmas faced by photojournalists. Carter later revealed that the child had been struggling to reach a feeding center, and he had shooed the vulture away after taking the picture. However, critics questioned why he didn’t do more to help.
The overwhelming response to the photo, combined with personal struggles and the weight of his work, deeply affected Carter. Just months after receiving the Pulitzer in 1994, he tragically took his own life.
His photograph remains one of the most powerful and controversial images ever taken, forcing the world to confront not just famine but also the moral complexities of bearing witness to human suffering.