Photo Feature
Indian leopard
“This image represents to me the perfect natural world of our urban existence: the leopard walking next to us, unafraid and adapting to its environment which we humans are constantly changing. With planning and awareness, we can co-exist with wildlife, and we need to consider the needs of animals and the necessity of preserving our forests with every development decision we make.”
Photographer: Steve Winter
In 1991, Steve Winter began shooting for National Geographic. Since then, he has covered many subjects for the magazine, including Cuba, Russia’s giant Kamchatka bears, Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley, and life along Myanmar’s Irrawaddy river. But much of his work has focused on India, and much of that on big cats, with stories on Kaziranga National Park, snow leopards, tigers, and most recently, leopards. He’s been named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year, was two-time winner of Picture of the Year International’s Global Vision Award and won World Press Photo’s ‘Best Nature Story’ category in 2008 and 2014. He is co-author of the book ‘Tigers Forever: Saving the World’s Most Endangered Big Cat’.