Patience is a virtue
Katmai National Park, Alaska
A grizzly bear stands at the edge of the famous Brooks fall waiting patiently for salmon to cross and become its meal. Summer time is salmon run in Alaska where the salmon move upstream to spawn and the Grizzlies consume more than 40 of them in a day to build up on fat reserves to survive the long winter of hibernation. #GTphototip: a slow shutter speed brought out the flowing water in brooks fall. The only challenge was to find a bear which would stand relatively still waiting for the salmon
Leave me alone!
Masai Mara, Kenya
It’s not often that you arrive at a cheetah sighting and then are left counting the number of cheetahs present with disbelief. We literally had to count twice to make sure we weren't double counting. Seemingly, the coalition of 5 cheetah brothers had encountered Malaika (the most famous cheetah in the Mara) and her 2 subadult male cubs. She was probably in the early stages of oestrus but in no mood to mate. The males had surrounded her and she was frequently charging at any male who got too close. And to add to the chaos, the males were fighting amongst themselves for first mating rights over her.
Mating Tigers
Ranthambhore National Park, India
This reaction by the female of viciously pawing at the male is the reason why the male bites the female just before withdrawing. The penis of the male cat has spines which stimulate ovulation in the female. As he withdraws it is painful for the female who tends to paw her mate in anger. The male tries to preempt that by biting her neck. Despite the pain, irony is that they mate frequently over a 3-5 day period. Over the first 2 days the frequency can be as high as once every 15-20 minutes. Woah!
Play Fight
Ranthambhore National Park, India
This was one of our memorable sighting in Ranthambore when we found these two sub adult cubs of Noor playing. Such play fights prepare them for adulthood when they may actually need to fight another tiger/tigress for retaining or reclaiming their territory.
All things beautiful
Katmai National Park, Alaska
Sometimes it is the small things that count just like this cute Alaskan Marmot. On one of our trips to Alaska, while we were trekking on the mossy tundra ground to look for grizzly bears, we found this fur-ball nibbling on blueberries. Marmots are large squirrels (rodent family) and rely on their senses to survive. They scream, whistle, use teeth chattering to communicate. They hibernate from September until March and survive on the fat they have stored during the summers.
What does my future hold?
Kaktovik, Alaska
A young polar bear cub contemplates his future as he seemingly worries about climate change. We have been visiting Alaska 2-3 years in a row. Each year the ice is forming late which in turn is affecting polar bears as they hunt their primary food source, seals on ice. Changes in the ice patterns are forcing the bears to go on land, resulting in longer spells without food.
It runs in the family!
Ranthambhore National Park, India
Krishna, the legendary queen of Ranthambore takes her cubs for a stroll one early morning. These cubs are now the famous tigresses of the park, Arrowhead & Lightening but sadly their brother, Pacman succumbed to injuries last year...
Teasing!
Singalila National Park, India
This was way back in 2016 when we went to Singalila National Park with sheer optimism to photograph these extremely shy animals. many days went by with no luck and it was when we had totally given up that a ray of hope emerged. This red Panda was resting on the tree and suddenly our excitement knew no bounds. He rewarded us with many poses... There are less than 10,000 Red Pandas left in the wild..Today as we celebrate #internationalredpandaday , it is important to know how this beautiful creature is slowly disappearing. Illegal hunting for its fur, deforestation are key threats to them.
Guardians of the Mara
Masai Mara, Kenya
On our recent trip to the Mara we came across this coalition of Cheetahs nearly everyday. We also had a chance to see them hunt and kill a wildebeest. Myth Breaker: It is believed that this fastest land animal (can go from 0 to 96 kph in 3 seconds) on earth is in danger of overheating during a hunt and they abandon the hunt. Recent studies suggest that this is just a myth and they do not overheat while hunting or abandon the hunt. (source a report covered by National Geographic) Other interesting facts: The Cheetah's tail plays a very important part when it is running as it helps the cat steer. It is not just the speed but also the ability to change direction quickly, slow down instantly and possibly turning mid air while sprinting that helps Cheetah in hunting.
INTO THE LAST WILDERNESS
