International Tiger Day
In 2019 I travel to the heart of India in search of these inclusive big cats. My tour was led by National Geographic big cat photographer Steve Winter, whose extensive work on tigers is nothing short of legendary.
We traveled to two different national parks in India including Kaziranga National Park in the northeast Indian state of Assam and Bandhavgarh National Park in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. During our eleven days in the field we were only able to photograph two tigers. Each encounter only lasted a few minutes. This experience was very humbling for me as a photographer to understand just how difficult it is and the time it takes to really capture the essence of these magnificent cats.
National Parks in India have a very strong anti-poaching presence. Their rules for entering their parks are very strict and you can often see patrols on elephant back making their rounds. These protections are vital to the survival of these big cats.