Today in the United States, there is an onus on volunteers to pick up environmental responsibility that was once upheld by civic organisations. Free-market environmentalists assume a self-prescribed role of rogue animal guardian. Private wildcat reserves create an ecological diversity of fauna never coexistent under one biome, based on selective and desired organisms, namely that of a pre-colonial past. Here, tigers and lions roam the mowed landscape of the American South. These preserved wilderness sites reinforce ideals of private property, producing capital from both the conservation and entertainment economies.

Un-common Intimacy was shot in private wildlife reserves in the six states that allow private ownership of large predators. Jessica Segall trained to handle the wildlife in order to embed herself in the ready-made sites. During these sessions, Segall learned that the masculine theater performed in wildlife handling entertainment is not a prerequisite for confronting predators.