Written by Rachel Hartigan Shea
Photo by Joel Saltore Joel Sartore
National Geographic photographer Joel Saltore
He was driven by strong personal feelings
Strive to leave video records for as many animal species as possible
- While certain species have not yet disappeared from the earth
After finishing filming at columbus zoo in Ohio, USA, a clouded leopard cub climbed onto Saltore's head. Clouded leopards live in the tropical jungles of Asia, where poachers hunt illegally to obtain their streaked fur.
Photograph by Gram S. Jones
"Once, a crane almost blinded me." He said, "It's terrible. A mountain fish (a stout primate) punched him in the face; "a long-crowned hornbill (the most evil and domineering bird I've ever come into contact with) pecked me with its pointed beak to bleed. But in a way, isn't that what I asked for? He said.
Scaly white-bellied pangolin
Inside the Pangolin Sanctuary, a nonprofit institution in St. Augustine, Florida, a small pangolin is riding her mother's "hitchhiker" . This mammal is illegally hunted for its flesh and scales. According to legend, pangolin scales have medicinal properties.
The first line is American loose termites, desert cats, king bass, orange-edged red-eyed frogs
The second row is the Filipino crocodile, the silver-striped red-sleeved butterfly, the orangutan, and the eagle-headed parrot
The third row is the curved-crowned tufted toucan, the spade-shaped insect, the ring-tailed lemur, and the black elephant shrew
The fourth row is the Brazilian golden ghost scorpion, the four-toed hedgehog, the giant panda, and the white ibis
The fifth row of mountain fish, broad-tailed Dharma monk, black garden sleeping mouse, sharp-beaked snake
The sixth row of hats is decorated with penguins, flame shrimp, lion-tailed monkeys, and red warty emperor doves
Seventh row of blue-spotted claw butterflies, baby lorises, Panamanian golden frogs, blue tree monitor lizards
Eighth row Himalayan wolf, metallic green bee, bat starfish, Guyana's moving crown umbrella bird
The first row is red-green-orange-haired spider, Eurasian red squirrel, Nicoba dove, and green tree python
The first line is rabbit-eared possum, fine-striped zebra, Diana long-tailed monkey, Kerry double sawfish
The third row is the short-finned polygonal scorpion, the desert millipede, the large-scale tree frog, and the spotted turtle
The fourth row is the Schmidt red-tailed monkey, the veined half-winged mantis, the colorful manatee, and the American red stork
The fifth row is the Australian finch, the Surinamese horned frog, the North American porcupine, and the flower golden turtle
The sixth row is leopard chameleon, diphtheria forest rat, Arizona desert centipede, American oyster sandpiper
The seventh row is Tonga weaved snail, purple and blue macaw, antelope, brown scaly pufferfish
Auricular fox
The world's smallest foxes are common in the Sahara and have large ears that they use to dissipate heat when crossing deserts. Due to their cute looks, they are popular in the wild pet market.
Red-collared lemur
One summer day in 2006, Saltore called his friend John Chapo, who was president and CEO of the Lincoln Children's Zoo, and asked if he could go and take portraits of some of the zoo's animals. Even when his wife, Cathy, was sick (in 2005, Cathy was diagnosed with breast cancer), he could still work close to home — and the zoo was only a mile from his home. When Saltore arrived, he asked Chapo and animal administrator Randy Hill for two things: a white background and an animal that didn't move.
"How about naked mole rats?" Hill said.
Naked mole rat
The rodent was the first species photographed to be included in The Chronicle of Animal Images and thrived in large underground nests in the arid regions of eastern Africa.
He found a cutting board from the zoo kitchen and placed the bare rodent on it, and Saltore began to take pictures. It's hard to imagine that such a humble animal started an important undertaking in Saltore's life: to photograph the world's species in captive feeding environments and draw attention to their fate. However, starting this global-scale plan with a weak rodent is in line with Saltore's philosophical view.
Sumatran orangutan
It is estimated that there are between 2 million and 8 million animal species on Earth. Many of them (estimated to be between 16 and 3 million species) could become extinct by the end of the century due to habitat loss, climate change and wildlife trade. Saltore estimates that it would take 25 years to photograph most species in captive-fed environments. Over the past decade, he has photographed 5,600 animals for what he calls Animal Imagery.
Brown-headed spider monkey
Saltore said he would keep shooting until he died or his knees couldn't move at all. Sandra Schneckerberg, a biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has seen firsthand how Saltore's photographs touch others. A few years ago, the Florida grasshopper sand bunting ( a humble bird ) plummeted to about 150 pairs , and they can only be found in two locations. The photographs taken by Saltore for the bird have promoted understanding of its tragic fate, and since then, the state's conservation of the bird has soared from $20,000 to more than $1 million. Some of the animals photographed by Saltore still have hope of being rescued, while others are already doomed to extinction.
Delacur u langur
Northern White Rhinoceros
Last summer, he photographed a northern white rhino at the Zoo in the town of Royal Palace on the Rabe River in the Czech Republic, one of only five remaining northern white rhinos in the world. After the shooting, the 31-year-old female northern white rhinoceros lay down and went to sleep. A week later, it died of a ruptured cyst. In the fall of 2015, another northern white rhino died, and now only one male and two females remain. "You ask me if it's sad for rhinos to go extinct?" Saltore said, "It's not just sad, it's a tragedy." ”
White-headed langur
Nearly half of all primate species are at risk of extinction, and five here are among the most endangered species. It is estimated that there are only about 70 white-headed langurs left worldwide, and the number of red-collared lemurs has also declined significantly. The habitat of the brown-headed spider monkey in South America is being greatly lost. But there is still joy in life: a Sumatran orangutan resting comfortably on a branch; a Delacur langur enjoys a delicious banana.
snowy owl
The snowy owl lives at high altitudes in North America, Europe and Asia, but this one is shown in the photograph in Nebraska. By the time Raptor Rescue rescued him, it was on the verge of starvation.
Most of the animals included in the National Geographic Society-funded Animal ImageRy have never taken such a vivid portrait — the markings, hairs, feathers are all clearly displayed. If they disappear, people will remember them in this way.
Saltore's goal "is not just to send an obituary to the animals we have mutilated," he said, "but to show people what they really look like when they are alive." "Now, millions of people have seen photographs of animals taken by Saltore.
Brazilian tree porcupine
This species, which is largely nocturnal, is also called the capuchin porcupine and spends 85% of its time in trees. Saltore photographed it resting but still alert.
Asian tapir
The baby tapir in the photo was just six days old at the time of shooting. Young Asian tapirs have stripes on their fur to hide in the dappled light and shadow of tropical forests.
Saltore doesn't touch animals himself, he leaves animal stewards to do it. If at any time "the photographed animal shows discomfort, the shooting stops immediately," he said, "and the safety and comfort of the animal comes first." "Not a single animal was harmed.
Joel and Cathy met while studying at the University of Nebraska at a place called Zoo Bar. "The content of our date," Cathy recalls, "was fishing and catching frogs"—holding frogs with spears and forking them to get the flesh of their legs. Saltore hastened to explain that this activity was justified: "We caught bullfrogs, which are invasive species in Lincoln. In 2012, Cathy's cancer recurred and her breasts were removed. That same year, their 18-year-old son, Cole, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Both are now recovering, but the disease has left its mark on them. "We don't care so much about a lot of things now." Saltore said.
Animal Images changed him. "It made me realize that I was going to die too." "I can foresee how long this project will last," he said. "If he can't get the job done (there are still thousands of species to shoot), my son Cole will take over and keep doing it." I hope that long after I die," Saltore said, "the photos will still have an impact." ”
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