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2013-05-12 15:07:23 (8 comments, 8 reshares, 58 +1s)

Head On

A handsome young Sumatran Tiger with the look.

2013-05-04 19:41:03 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 86 +1s)

λύγξ

There's no mistaking a hungry Lynx! This is the Eurasian species.  One of my favourite cats without a doubt.  

2013-05-01 14:13:46 (7 comments, 3 reshares, 8 +1s)

Sad reading.. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mozambique/10028738/Last-rhinos-in-Mozambique-killed-by-poachers.htm

2013-04-26 20:46:41 (5 comments, 8 reshares, 67 +1s)

Turn Back

Checking the lay of the land after another good sleep.

2013-04-20 16:47:11 (10 comments, 4 reshares, 69 +1s)

Portrait of Hunter

2013-04-14 17:58:08 (11 comments, 10 reshares, 95 +1s)

In Sight

2013-04-14 06:34:17 (9 comments, 5 reshares, 84 +1s)

Good Morning Ben

An old friend the Bengali Eagle Owl.  A bit of Sunday morning developing with the Nik Google bundle and very blurry eyes (I've picked up a nasty case of conjunctivitis which is making everything look like a tilt shift!).

2013-04-06 16:46:17 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 17 +1s)

Cheetah Perch

Almost forgot to work on existing images while prepare gear for a trip out to Sabi in a couple of months!  This is "Murphy" getting a good view on his surroundings.  He can see detail up to about 5kms away.

2013-04-06 12:57:16 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 62 +1s)

Cheetah Perch

Almost forgot to work on existing images while prepare gear for a trip out to Sabi in a couple of months!  This is "Murphy" getting a good view on his surroundings.  He can see detail up to about 5kms away.

2013-03-29 12:27:33 (4 comments, 7 reshares, 74 +1s)

The King revisited

Won't get a chance to post for a couple of days so here's an image I've used to try out the new Nik Collection bundle by Google.  The Nik tools really change the workflow I've been comfortable with for years now, but in a way, that's probably a good thing!

2013-03-24 20:09:40 (6 comments, 5 reshares, 66 +1s)

Line up

2013-03-23 20:08:55 (7 comments, 9 reshares, 61 +1s)

Don't you worry child..

A mother Amur Leopard gives a reassuring pat on the back to her cub.

2013-03-16 18:12:39 (12 comments, 21 reshares, 99 +1s)

Lynx Europa

Probably one of my favourite cats, the Lynx is the third largest European predator after the Brown Bear and Grey Wolf.

2013-03-09 19:06:19 (5 comments, 13 reshares, 77 +1s)

Young Amur

2013-03-08 18:11:07 (10 comments, 8 reshares, 90 +1s)

Heads up

2013-03-03 21:54:49 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

WE DID IT! Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that Thailand would take steps to end ivory trade--the first time the Thai government has said this publicly!
 
THANK YOU to the nearly 1.5 million of you who have signed and shared our petition!
 
Get the full details from our team at the CITES meeting in Bangkok: http://wwf.to/Zdvb8P

2013-03-03 17:13:42 (9 comments, 4 reshares, 80 +1s)

Done and Done
A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) after lunch.

2013-03-03 11:29:50 (7 comments, 6 reshares, 76 +1s)

Bengal Blur

The memorable Bengal Eagle Owl (Bubo bengalensis) just about to take to the air.

2013-02-23 12:04:03 (12 comments, 7 reshares, 83 +1s)

Living on the Edge

The most endangered big cat on the planet, the Amur Leopard.  Panthera pardus orientalis live in the Russian Far East, where there are about 30 left.

1/2500 sec at f/2.8, ISO 320
200mm on a Canon 7D


#CATURDAY +Jules Falk Hunter +Shantha Marie Fountain
#plusphotoextract +Jarek Klimek
#onecatadaykeepsthedoctoraway +Sandra Deichmann
#hqspanimals +Marina Versaci +Joe Urbz +Nicole Best

2013-02-22 21:59:08 (6 comments, 4 reshares, 95 +1s)

In Range

A Puma (Puma concolor) showing her agility by the water

1/8000 sec at f / 2.8, ISO 400
70mm (112mm on Canon 7D APS-C)

2013-02-18 15:22:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Great, if starting out tragic story, and a lovely shot of the 3 cubs together on a road.  http://e360.yale.edu/digest/orphaned_siberian_tiger_cubs_readied_for_life_in_wild/3753/

2013-02-16 14:18:04 (9 comments, 9 reshares, 83 +1s)

Hide & Seek

An Amur Leopard Cub (Panthera pardus orientalis) learning new tricks. 

1/500 sec at f/3.2, ISO 800
200mm (320mm with 1.6 aps-c)

2013-02-09 12:18:48 (11 comments, 5 reshares, 81 +1s)

Lunch time

Amur Leopards are partial to a bit of deer.  This one looks like she's just spotted her next meal.

2013-02-08 18:24:22 (5 comments, 9 reshares, 89 +1s)

Play Time

A young Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) just hanging around, keeping a close eye on anything that moves.

2013-02-08 15:48:14 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Out of control..
http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Over-82-rhino-poached-in-37-days-20130206

2013-02-03 13:16:08 (9 comments, 6 reshares, 77 +1s)

Cloudies

Clouded leopards are beautiful "little big" cats and are intelligent with it.  They aren't that well understood and aren't directly related to leopards.  Only in recent years were they found to be two different species, separated over a million years ago as land bridges vanished.

This one is Neofelis nebulosa, the other type are known as "Sunda".

2013-02-02 17:29:27 (10 comments, 7 reshares, 78 +1s)

Soaked Sumatran Style

A young Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) enjoying a bath.

2013-01-31 09:59:05 (14 comments, 10 reshares, 107 +1s)

Anything you can do..

Amur Leopard and cub. 2012. WHF. 

2013-01-25 21:32:21 (17 comments, 14 reshares, 74 +1s)

Walk this way?

Black Leopard (Panthera Pardus) going for a menacing! stroll..

Exciting few days for me as I plan my first ever trip to South Africa, probably Kruger, for some proper big cat encounters.  Just need to find somewhere which doesn't charge a fortune extra when you're travelling alone.  Not quite ready to take my family out there yet.  My nearly 2 year old daughter is perfect bite size.

Have a great weekend everyone.  

2013-01-23 21:16:16 (6 comments, 10 reshares, 83 +1s)

Polar Year

2013 is the 40th anniversary of an agreement made in 1973 to protect Polar Bears.  Happily, they still roam in the territories of Canada, Norway, Russia, Denmark and the USA.  The plan is to keep it that way.

2013-01-20 19:32:45 (12 comments, 12 reshares, 80 +1s)

On the Brink

An Amur Leopard patrol.  I don't have much to say about them this time which hasn't already been said.  There simply are not many left in the wild of these amazing big cats.

2013-01-19 18:51:22 (7 comments, 5 reshares, 61 +1s)

Evening Meditation

Ring-tailed lemurs relaxing in the evening sun.

2013-01-18 20:46:43 (14 comments, 10 reshares, 87 +1s)

Small, but perfectly formed..

Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the tigers, the perfect design for a predator in the rainforest.  They're critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List. An environmental group in Riau have recently reported that fatal encounters with humans are increasing, which can be linked to the devastation coming to habitat by the pulp and paper industry.

2013-01-18 16:32:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

The flip side of the story..

2013-01-15 16:20:09 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xw2605_stop-it-stop-the-illegal-trade-in-rhino-horn-and-ivory_news#.UPWBjG91F8E

2013-01-12 22:16:51 (9 comments, 10 reshares, 105 +1s)

The King of kings.

Themba the white lion, at the WHF.

#caturday  ?

2013-01-11 20:36:22 (7 comments, 9 reshares, 85 +1s)

On the Prowl

In the wild the very rare Sumatran Tiger's numbers have dwindled (to around 300), as they watch the Indonesian rainforest around them being pulped .. for paper.

2013-01-09 11:46:17 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 11 +1s)

Just in time?

2013-01-08 12:31:57 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Daily Mail Online - My images of lions Tiny and Manzi from the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2258403/Lion-pictures-Kings-jungle-catch-40-winks-photo-shoot-catch-40-winks.html

2013-01-05 23:09:46 (5 comments, 6 reshares, 110 +1s)

Speed, perfected

A Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) ready to spring into action.

In Japan, researchers have monitored muscles of these big cats and recently published their fascinating findings in the Mammalian Biology journal.  They get their power from the hind legs, like the rear wheel drive of a car.

They're classed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List in particular due to fragmentation of population.

2012-12-29 17:25:36 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 60 +1s)

A Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos).  They might have a bad reputation, but generally eat only vegetation and won't attack unless provoked.

Until around 1000 AD they existed in Britain, before being hunted to extinction. The species as a whole are classed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List although it's still getting less and less likely to spot one.

2012-12-21 19:31:10 (11 comments, 12 reshares, 99 +1s)

The Bengali Look

A young (and beautiful) Bengal Eagle-Owl posing for the camera.

2012-12-16 21:02:36 (13 comments, 17 reshares, 103 +1s)

Near

A snow leopard laying low.  They used to be known as the "mountain ghost".  In recent news, Himachal Pradesh looks to be a haven for some of these rare big cats.  Plans are in place to tag them to learn more about how to avoid human conflict.

They are seriously endangered and not easy to study in the wild. Conservationists have this year spotted a pair wandering mountains in an area which was the scene of conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999, near Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir.

I caught up with two early in the afternoon back in 2010, in a sanctuary which is working hard to protect them from extinction by breeding and potentially re-introduction.  They were very visibly warning each other off what was left of dinner.

Able to bring down prey three times their own size, they often eat slowly, taking days to enjoy a favourite meal ofgoa... more »

2012-12-16 00:12:06 (12 comments, 8 reshares, 108 +1s)

In Your Eyes

I haven't had a chance to pick up the camera in weeks so I delved into the archives to find something a bit different.  Hope everyone is having a great weekend and all ready for the next one! :-)

I'm not a birder/twitcher, so apologies for not knowing the name of this.  I'd guess barn owl?

2012-12-15 23:49:28 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

Really pleased to find out that my "Black Pardus" shot (Just below this post) has been featured on photoextract.  http://www.photoextract.com/plus-extract/2012/12/13  Thanks to +Jarek Klimek not just for selecting it, but also for bringing us a good range of photos which I enjoy viewing every day.

2012-12-13 19:22:30 (10 comments, 14 reshares, 83 +1s)

Black Pardus

Black leopards are leopards with a recessive gene.  They're amazingly agile and can lift heavy prey up trees with ease.  They hunt mostly at night, avoiding humans, who are probably quite pleased with that.

The Red List has them as "Near Threatened" which is worse than it sounds really, especially as they are considered close to "Vulnerable".

2012-12-11 11:42:09 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 21 +1s)

These are one of my favourite "big" cats.  Clouded leopards "Neofelis nebulosa". They're under very real threat of habitat loss due to logging and farming.  CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are helping prevent illegal trade in these amazing, unique animals.

They are classed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List, which is 2 steps from "critically endangered".

2012-12-11 11:29:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

These are the Sunda Clouded Leopards (Neofelis diardi) living on Sumatra and Borneo. They're distinct from the regular type.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/20627836

2012-12-10 20:11:06 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

I've just noticed I can't post something public and to a community at the same time.  Probably makes sense but feels a little odd nonetheless.

https://plus.google.com/107119940474246316259/posts/QAZYsnaN2Wx

2012-12-10 20:08:17 (12 comments, 5 reshares, 72 +1s)

These are one of my favourite "big" cats.  Clouded leopards "Neofelis nebulosa". They're under very real threat of habitat loss due to logging and farming.  CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are helping prevent illegal trade in these amazing, unique animals.

They are classed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List, which is 2 steps from "critically endangered".