David Yarrow The Siberian Photography

Photograph by David Yarrow ” The Siberian”. Limited edition

The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world. Due to poaching and habitat loss in China and eastern Russia, the number of individuals left in the wild is almost certainly only in the three-digit range and within a generation it will drop to 2. Therefore, protected areas in China are crucial to ensure that they are particularly dangerous to the animals can successfully reproduce and survive.

The Chinese have a poor reputation for respecting endangered animals and, of course, the country was the largest end market for rhino horn and ivory. On the margin, the situation is improving now that an ivory ban is in place. After giving a conservation speech in Shanghai last week, I arranged access to one such sanctuary for the tigers in the freezing north of the country. In January, the temperature is rarely above -20 degrees.

I have seen the good and the bad. But it gave me the best chance to experience the magnificence of these animals in their natural habitat. From a photographic perspective, it remains a daunting challenge because although their presence is guaranteed, immersive images are compromised by the wild nature of the mammal and the topography, which rarely allows a camera to be below the level of the tiger. This is a man-eater – there’s no doubt about it. Even a hand outside the cage will be lost in the heartbeat. Add to that the cold and the language barriers at local repair stores. David Yarrow