I arrived just when a storm was forming (no starry photo!), with a lot of lightning inside the clouds. But I knew this was probably the only night I would spend in the Grand Canyon in my life, so I decided to head to the rim I always dreamed of taking a night shot of the Canyon with a starry night. We arrived to watch a beautiful sunset, and then, exhausted, headed to bed. Although we went only for 3 days, I checked the map and realized that driving for 6 hours will bring me to the Grand Canyon, so we drove there (we were lucky to find last-minute lodging inside the Park, due to Covid). "I traveled last year to Utah to accompany my wife to run a marathon. These things are real, and if they continue as they are, the outcome will be catastrophic." The world as we know it is very fragile, and the current state of the world – from political conflicts and nuclear tension to the climate crisis – means that the end could very well be nigh. I think that these images of the polar bears on Kolyuchin island are very timely, they are like snapshots of a premonition reflecting what could be in our not-so-distant future. Bears are very curious and were probably intrigued by this ‘”weird-looking bird”, which was amazing for me as they looked right into the camera. I was very careful and very patient, and let the bears slowly get used to the drone so that eventually I was able to get closer and closer. "I shot from a drone equipped with low-noise propellers to not disturb them. Never one to miss a meal, they were probably ready to strike at any moment, even when seemingly chilling out on the grass!" The bears may look calm and sweet in these photos, but one must not forget that they are smart and incredibly powerful animals! As they probably thought the drone was some sort of bird, they did not let it out of their sight. The females kept to the side with their cubs, closer to the shores of the island. There were about 20 animals inside at the same time, mostly males. Bears are very curious by nature so they walked around houses, and checked every door, window, nook, and cranny. "The fog, a place long deserted by people, and polar bears was the perfect setting. Someone took out some binoculars and we saw the heads of polar bears!" Suddenly, we noticed movement in the windows of the houses. The stormy wind, rain, and neglected buildings on the rocky shores all made everything appear super surreal. Though the station was closed in 1992, the abandoned village still stands on the island. Kolyuchin is known for the polar weather station that operated on it in Soviet times. One day, bad weather was expected, so our captain approached a small island, Kolyuchin, to take shelter from the storm. We sailed along the coast and covered more than 1200 miles of untouched landscapes, villages lost in time, spots with various fauna, and seas full of life. "In September ’21 we went on a long-awaited trip to Chukotka and Wrangel Island. I believe that greater understanding leads to deeper caring which hopefully results in active support and as a multiplier for conservation efforts." "My imagery is to make people connect to wildlife and appreciate the often unseen natural world. Snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from human settlement and increased use of grazing space." Habitat loss, poaching, and retaliatory killings as a result of human-wildlife conflict are the biggest threats that these magnificent cats face. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Species researchers estimate that there are between 400 to 700 snow leopards in India today. Their incredible stealth and camouflage and the remote environment they live in, probably make the ‘ghost of the mountains’ the most challenging big cat to photograph in the wild. These rarely-sighted, wise-looking cats are since centuries the stuff of legends and fairytales. The mystery surrounding the Snow leopard always fascinated me. Challenges were many: The steep, rugged terrain with low oxygen levels, finding locations, getting the equipment up, and maintaining it over long periods of time. I captured this spectacular image during a three-year DSLR camera trap project in the high-altitude region of Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas bordering Pakistan and China. Thick snow blankets the ground, but the big cat’s dense coat and furry footpads keep it warm. "A strikingly beautiful Snow leopard roams across the jagged peaks of the Ladakh mountain range in India.
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