Stunning Portraits Of Wild Animals Taken From Up Close By This Photographer (75 New Pics)

There are approximately 24,000 tigers left in the world, of which only about 3,200 are in the wild and about 20,000 are in captivity. 100 years ago there were more than 100,000 in the wild. This means that we have killed more than 96% of the tiger population in 100 years.

Also known as the ghost of the mountains, the snow leopard is one of the most enigmatic big cats in the world. Because of its geographical isolation, very few have been able to see it in the wild. Its population is estimated to be only about 4,000 specimens, and it is on the red list of species in danger of extinction due to climate change.

From 100,000 specimens in the 20th century to 7,500 specimens today, the cheetah joins the long list of species doomed to disappear. As the human population grows, the territory of these animals is reduced, and the last wild spaces are disappearing, as well as the hope of survival.

For the inhabitants of the Himalayas, the snow leopard is a mystical creature, a sacred totem with the power to remove sins from the past lives of people who are fortunate enough to see one. They also believe that killing a snow leopard restores all these past sins to the killer’s present life. It is a very elusive and solitary animal that inhabits remote parts of the Himalayas, and very few people have ever seen one in the wild. It is also considered the guardian of all sacred animals and a link between the material and spirit worlds.

America belonged to the jaguars. Considered a god by pre-Columbian peoples, it is the largest cat in America and third in size after the lion and tiger. Its only predator is man, and therefore its population has been drastically reduced. Despite being a protected species, illegal trade still exists and it is already on the red list of threatened species.

Asian elephants have several differences from African elephants, and in principle, they cannot be crossbred. There has only been one hybrid breeding of these two elephant species, but it did not survive. Asian elephants have smaller ears, females have no fangs among other differences. They are now also endangered.

This is Naya, a female black jaguar that is part of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP) and lives at @loroparque in Tenerife. Naya was a mother to two beautiful jaguars that were born in early 2020, reviving hope for this American species whose population is in decline. Breeding programs are a fundamental part of the fight for biodiversity conservation.

From Mexico, through all of Central and South America, the jaguar's territory is very wide. Considered a god by pre-Columbian peoples, it is the largest cat in America and third in size after the lion and tiger. Its current population is in decline, and it is on the red list of threatened species. Its only predator is the man. In this photo, the black panther is the female jaguar and the other is the male.

Black panthers are jaguars (or leopards) with melanism, the opposite of albinism, i.e. an excess of black pigment. In this case, it is a jaguar (Panthera onca). In Peru, it is known as otorongo, a word of Quechua origin that means jaguar. It is the largest feline in the Americas.

Elephants are extremely intelligent and social animals. They have a brain structure similar to that of humans and are capable of experiencing grief, compassion, cooperation, and self-awareness, among many others. Baby elephants are cared for by their mothers, but the other females of the group, which has a matriarchal structure, also participate. In this way, the young female elephants are trained in their future role as mothers.

Almost extinct in 1970, the Iberian wolf has recovered a fraction of its territory and has been saved in extremis from its disappearance, mainly because it has been considered a plague and encouraged hunting and persecution. Despite being a partially protected species, conflicts with cattle breeders mean that this species is still seriously threatened, and with a current population of less than 3 thousand specimens in Spain, hundreds are still being killed every year.

Leopards and jaguars share characteristics that sometimes make them difficult to distinguish. But the first clear difference is their ecozone. The jaguar lives in America while the leopard lives in Africa and Asia. The leopard is less robust than the jaguar, has less bite strength, and is more elusive, due to greater competition with other animals such as lions or tigers. The leopard is currently in critical danger of extinction, with less than 25 thousand specimens in the world.

$60,000 USD a kilo, that's what a rhino horn costs on the black market. More expensive than gold. But life is priceless. Unlike elephant tusks, which are made of ivory, rhino horns are made of keratin, the same material as nails. But the ignorance and superstition of some humans give it non-existent medicinal properties. As in everything, as long as there are buyers, there will be sellers. This will only end in education.

This black panther is actually a jaguar with excess black pigmentation that hides its markings. It's called melanism, the opposite of albinism. However, the spots of the original coat prevail and with proper light can be distinguished. The jaguar population has been seriously diminished in the last decades, and currently, only about 63,000 would be left in the wild.

Snow leopards have a long, fluffy tail measuring about 1 meter that serves a dual function, balancing their movements in the mountains and as a protection from the cold. In the 1990s it was on the verge of extinction, but conservation programs have managed to recover part of this feline whose current population is around 5,000 specimens in the wild.

This unique variation in the color of the lion is due to a rare genetic mutation. There are an estimated 300 white lions worldwide, and less than 13 in the wild, as their color does not help them camouflage for hunting. It is a symbol of divinity and good luck in Timbavati, South Africa, where they originate, and seeing them in the wild is very unusual.

Gorillas are mainly herbivores, although they may occasionally eat some insects. Their diet consists mainly of plant leaves, roots, fruits, berries, and fungi. They have to ingest large quantities to satisfy their energy needs, so they spend most of the day eating.