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by Marsel on Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:06 am
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Congratulations! This is the Image of the Week selection for the Wildlife Gallery, week ending 2nd November, 2012!
Image

>Click here for large version<

Earlier this year I was on assignment for National Geographic Traveler in India to shoot for an article on tiger safaris. I was there for a week and visited both Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore, their most famous tiger parks. It turned out to be a very frustrating experience - too many (poorly behaving) tourists, and only on our very last game drive did we see a tiger. One tiger. After sunset. On the road. Hardly the ideal conditions for a good photograph. But it's all in the game.

That said, a tiger safari can not be compared to a safari in Africa. In Africa there's an abundance of predators, and the habitat in some countries in particular makes it relatively easy to spot them - no wonder the Masai Mara is so popular.

Unfortunately, there is no abundance of tigers. As a matter of fact: they're highly endangered. Worldwide there are more tigers living in captivity than in the wild, and their numbers are still declining. This is the direct result of poaching, which is caused by the ever increasing demand for tiger parts from China and Vietnam.

Chances of actually seeing a tiger in the wild are therefore small, and seeing one in good photography conditions are even smaller. Tiger conservation on the Asian continent is struggling, numbers are still decreasing rapidly, and necessary measures, like properly fencing and protecting the national parks, are not taken. It's no wonder I was not very lucky with my tiger sightings.

But even though my first and only tiger encounter was short and far from ideal, I was impressed with this incredibly pretty cat and I was determined to get better shots. I got into contact with several tiger conservationists, and they pointed me in an unexpected direction.

A few months ago I visited a revolutionary tiger conservation project in South Africa - yes, South Africa. Huge stretches of farmland in South Africa have been bought and a new game reserve has been created - one where tigers can roam in the wild, hunting on their own, living free while protected by a huge fence; to keep the tigers in and the poachers out.

In the beginning the project was criticized by old school conservationists and nature fundamentalists who questioned the value of the project, but soon the first litters were born and in December 2010 there were already 16 tigers in the sanctuary, and it is currently the most successful tiger conservation project in the world when it comes to rapidly increasing numbers of tigers.

When you're serious about preventing a species from going extinct, you have to think out of the box, and this is a good example.

Not so long ago, government officials admitted that all the tigers had disappeared from Panna, one of India’s leading reserves, when just 2 years ago there was still a healthy population of 24. Even more recent the major tiger parks were temporarily closed for tourism in an effort to blame the tourists instead of poachers, organized crime and corrupt park officials. As long as there's an ever increasing demand for tiger parts from China and Vietnam, the tiger will continue to be poached - it's as simple as that. More tigers means better chances that they will survive.

We visited the South African tiger reserve earlier this year, spent a few days with the tigers, and we were very impressed. The park is huge - the tigers have loads of space, they can hunt for themselves, and they are well protected from the outside world by a state of the art fence. We saw them playing, stalking wildlife, fighting, and mating - more tigers in the making. :smile:

Daniella put together a really cool video of our tiger adventure. It's on our blog and worth checking out.
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by bruco63 on Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:16 am
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Hi Marsel and congratulations for your great photo, I like it so much!
I was many time in Ranth from 2009 to 2011...Now the parks are closed for too much tourists. Last times it was very stressed situations for these big cats, jeep everywhere and people not always intrestes to the beautiful things of the reserve.
I was very lucky first years to see and photograph a lot of time tigers. Last year It was not the same most probably for the high number of cars, canters and people inside...
I hope to return there soon
Best of life and sorry for my bad english
Bruno De faveri
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by Marsel on Thu Nov 01, 2012 8:40 am
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Bruno - thank you for your comments. And don't worry about your English - it's much better than my Italian.:wink:

The parks in India have opened again last week. I guess they realized it would do more harm than good to keep them closed. But I share your experience with the incredible amount of badly behaving tourists. As for the tiger sightings - the numbers are still dropping, so each year it's going to be worse. And if there is a sighting, chances are that you're behind 20-30 cars and have no view. You need a lot of time and a lot of patience.

My editor was very happy with our trip there though, because from a story-telling point of view it was perfect - the build up of tension and a tiger sighting at the very last moment.
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by SantaFeJoe on Thu Nov 01, 2012 9:59 am
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Thanks for the story. Nice rim lighting on this tiger and good detail, colors and eyes. Backlit grass in foreground is nice, also.

SFJ
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by wtracyparnell on Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:03 am
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Terrific shot, great light and eye contact.
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by Gary Briney on Thu Nov 01, 2012 12:14 pm
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Great shot, great story, great video...
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by neverspook on Fri Nov 02, 2012 12:51 am
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Spectacular image and great video.
Interesting idea to introduce tigers to Africa. A purist would raise the concern that most captive tigers genetically are a mishmash of the various subspecies of tigers, further influenced by captive and often selective breeding (white tigers, for example, are often selected for by captive breeders). Still, some tigers left somewhere in the wild is better than none, though so sad that it has come to this. I wonder what the native African wildcats make of the tigers?

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by apana on Fri Nov 02, 2012 1:28 am
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Marsel,

I think you miss the point. In India we are trying in situ conservation. There are plenty of places in India and overseas where tigers are found behind fences, but the thrill of tracking, seeing and photographing a real wild and free tiger is completely different.

As a species it is highly unlikely that the tiger will face extinction soon, but the real disaster will be if we lose wild tigers.

Thus far, unlike many Western countries that have lost their predators, India, with its enormous population pressure, has maintained an enviable track record, losing only the Asiatic cheetah.

I agree that a tiger safari in India cannot compare to Africa with its hordes of game and wild open spaces, but therein lies the charm, of tracking the elusive tiger. An intimate knowledge of the park helps, failing which a great driver and guide can almost certainly take you away from the day-trippers and show you a tiger.

I'm proud to say that on my last safari I tracked 16 individual tigers during the course of four safaris :-) But that is in Central India. Any tiger seen in South India is a bonus and I have got my best tiger images in the South.

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by Carol Clarke on Fri Nov 02, 2012 3:46 am
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Sweet light in this nice image Marsel.

AB Apana makes very good points, and those who just want to tick a box and get a photo of a tiger can go to any zoo or wildlife collection whether it be in S Africa or any other unnatural environment. Tigers breed very easily in captivity - but to be able to see truly wild tigers in their natural jungle habitat has to be the ultimate experience.
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by Marsel on Fri Nov 02, 2012 5:14 am
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apana wrote:I think you miss the point.
I think you're missing mine. :wink:

I love the thrill of tracking wild animals - I just spent many hours each day tracking leopards in Zambia. But for me it's not just a hobby, it's a profession. And when I'm on an assignment for one of the world's biggest magazines, I want and need to get good results. That was one of the reasons why my visit was so frustrating. I was accompanied by a park official and the director of a tiger conservation organization, we even got permission to drive off-road when it became clear that our mission was about to fail. I was actually lucky to have seen that one tiger, because the park had already closed and we were the only two vehicles allowed to stay in.

The other thing I found extremely frustrating was the huge amount of tourists and vehicles, the congestion and chaos this caused, and the poor behavior of said tourists. It really took away the joy of spending time in nature, watching and listening to the wildlife. Even if there was a 100% guarantee to see a tiger a day, this would still make me hesitant to return.

Wildlife photography is a waiting game - the more patient you are, the luckier you get. But that was not my point.
but the thrill of tracking, seeing and photographing a real wild and free tiger is completely different.
I agree completely. When I saw my first tiger in Ranthambore after days of finding nothing but tracks, my heart was in my throat. The fact that I realized that it was my last and only chance to save our mission also contributed to that I'm sure. :)

However, it's impossible to define what a 'real wild and free tiger' is. The tigers in South Africa are free roaming, they hunt for themselves, and they do all the things that tigers do. The reserve is simply smaller than those in India, and therefore the tiger density is much higher. What size does a park need to be before you can call the animals that live in there wild and free?
Thus far, unlike many Western countries that have lost their predators, India, with its enormous population pressure, has maintained an enviable track record, losing only the Asiatic cheetah.
I appreciate the difficulties that India has to deal with as a result of population pressure. But there are only some 400 Asiatic lions left in India, and the Indian leopard is classified as Near Threatened by IUCN since 2008, with over 3,000 leopards killed since 1994. With the population still growing rapidly, habitat loss and poaching will only increase, further endangering the existence of these species.

Only 11% of original Indian tiger habitat remains, and it is becoming significantly fragmented and often degraded. We can all sit back and hope for the best, or we can try to do something about it. That's what this project is all about, and that's why I support it.

Tigers, lions, leopards and cheetahs once lived together on the Asian continent - tigers in Africa is really not such a crazy thought.

I hope this better explains my point of view. It's not just about India, it's about thinking out of the box, about finding new solutions for old problems.

Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate your feedback.

Marsel
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by E.J. Peiker on Fri Nov 02, 2012 4:59 pm
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Really cool. You handled the back-lighting well.
 

by JuanK Vindas on Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:44 pm
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A place any nature photographers dreams of going! I am loving the light in this one as the clarity on the tiger's face. Well deserved Marsel, you are an inspiration!
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by Neilyb on Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:13 am
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Upon spotting a tiger in Ranthambhor a canter full of Indian school kids pulled up, never heard such noise, the bus was at least 200% full! One of the children jumped down from the bus to get a closer look, mobile phone in hand for his picture!!! Thankfully the driver was on hand to dish out some stern words. Possibly the most unenjoyable but unforgetable moment of the safari there. A frustrating place indeed, not least as every year there is less and less chance of seeing a tiger. We got lucky, 6 tigers in 4 drives, 5 of them in the very last drive! Ok we got VERY lucky.

Wonderful light and feeling in this shot. It paints a sublime and traquil picture of a terrible situation.
 

by Marsel on Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:26 am
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Neil - that sounds familiar. I've had similar situations in both Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore - people shouting, standing up in the vehicles, throwing empty water bottles and candy wrappers on the ground, and cursing at other vehicles that were blocking their view. It's too bad, because it doesn't have to be that way.
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by Neilyb on Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:39 am
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Marsel wrote:Neil - that sounds familiar. I've had similar situations in both Bandhavgarh and Ranthambore - people shouting, standing up in the vehicles, throwing empty water bottles and candy wrappers on the ground, and cursing at other vehicles that were blocking their view. It's too bad, because it doesn't have to be that way.
It pains to me to say it too but it was always the Indians making the most noise, mess and fuss. I do not wish to be racist or hateful but I do not think there is any appreciation for wildlife, but I can accept most Indians have other priorities. That one school child jumped from the canter to get a closer look showed just how "wild" is not percieved as what it is, rather that "zoo" or "here for my entertainment" is how it is. It shocked me and the others in our jeep, I don't think I want to go back to that, it was a mess. Granted it is made available to all people, unlike some safari experiences, but it is not working and I fear for the worst.
 

by Porsche917 on Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:01 pm
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Super image Marsel.

Best Regards,

Roman :-)
 

by kiran on Fri Nov 09, 2012 11:13 am
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+1 to what Carol has said... captive Tigers make no sense/challenge to me in Photography, but then, I have a different day job so I don't worry too much. India is dense/tropical and that is the real habitat of the Tiger, simple ! Elsewhere, it is a studio :-)...

Saw a documentary where Saba Douglas-Hamilton (Big Cat Diaries anchorwoman) visited India for the first time and the expression on her face was priceless when she saw her first wild Tiger ! Btw, she did not have a camera in her hand..just a pair of binocs :-)

Congrats for the IOW :D
Carol Clarke wrote:Sweet light in this nice image Marsel.

AB Apana makes very good points, and those who just want to tick a box and get a photo of a tiger can go to any zoo or wildlife collection whether it be in S Africa or any other unnatural environment. Tigers breed very easily in captivity - but to be able to see truly wild tigers in their natural jungle habitat has to be the ultimate experience.
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by Marsel on Sat Nov 10, 2012 12:39 pm
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kiran wrote:... captive Tigers make no sense/challenge to me in Photography, but then, I have a different day job so I don't worry too much. India is dense/tropical and that is the real habitat of the Tiger, simple! Elsewhere, it is a studio :-)...
Kiran, thank you for your feedback. However, like I said before, the tigers in SA are free roaming - they live in a huge sanctuary where they can hunt for themselves and where you face the same photographic challenges as in any other park in SA. Wild tigers originally lived in a variety of habitats, there is no such thing as 'real' tiger habitat.
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by Jackie Schuknecht on Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:03 am
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Smashing image. I was pleased to read of a sanctuary being made for these cats in Africa. Thanks for bringing the story, and the lovely video.
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by apana on Thu Nov 15, 2012 6:01 pm
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Marsel wrote: Wild tigers originally lived in a variety of habitats, there is no such thing as 'real' tiger habitat.

Can you justify this statement? This is neither a Royal Bengal Tiger nor a Siberian Tiger.
What is it? A Cape Tiger? Panthera tigris africanus? Did they swin across from India? What do they eat. How do they interact with other apex predators? What is the grass around the tiger?

There are plenty of us photographing wild tigers. If "one of the world's biggest magazines" could not make the right arrangements, it does not make a captive tiger wild. The next time you should travel with the local tiger experts!
Marsel wrote:And when I'm on an assignment for one of the world's biggest magazines, I want and need to get good results. That was one of the reasons why my visit was so frustrating. I was accompanied by a park official and the director of a tiger conservation organization, we even got permission to drive off-road when it became clear that our mission was about to fail. I was actually lucky to have seen that one tiger, because the park had already closed and we were the only two vehicles allowed to stay in.
This is against the law! Besides, with such clout you should have got some tigers!
Neilyb wrote:It pains to me to say it too but it was always the Indians making the most noise, mess and fuss. I do not wish to be racist or hateful but I do not think there is any appreciation for wildlife, but I can accept most Indians have other priorities.
How can you make such a statement? How does this explain our success story at conservation? Schoolchildren are noisy. With this one experience is it justifiable to denigrate the conservation efforts of an entire nation?

I don't know if the statement is racist or xenophobic, but it is downright silly! Take a look at our tiger pics!
 

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