Big Cat Diary (photo heavy!)
Discussion
Some of you may remember that I was after some lens advice a couple of weeks ago as I had been bought a day photographing some big cats, well I've been! I ended up hiring the Nikon 80-400 again as the Sigma 50-500 was out of stock when I needed it and I decided that the 70-200 wouldn't have given me the reach I needed, even with a TC. Now while most of the shots I took where at over 300mm I think if I went again I would risk losing those shots and take a much faster lens instead - particularly if the day was as dull as last week!
The place itself was amazing ( WHF) and as luck would have it I was the only person booked in that day, which would offer me plenty of benefits over the day (not least a one to one day with a pro wildlife tog). So, schedule out of the window we decided to wander around and go to which ever cats were doing something interesting at the time.
Artem: Amur Leopard
Amur Leopards are probably the worlds rarest cat, only approx. 35-40 are left in the wild today. The European breeding programme however has around 120 cats and they are hoping that within the next couple of generations they will be releasing captive bred animals back to the wild. Artem decided that I was getting a little to close to his enclosure and charged me ... needless to say looking through a 400mm lens at the time was a tad worrying (and lead to the pro tog laughing at me as I scrambled to get away).
Anuy: Amur Leopard
Anuy is one of two Amur Leopard cubs at WHF, the hope is that his children will be released back to the wild.
Petra: Eurasian Lynx
A very pretty and friendly little cat, even if she did have a habit of poking her tongue out at me.
Tiny: African Lion
Most cats in captivity are given names relating to their native country, however Tiny was born with a hole in his heart and wasn't expected to live longer than a few days, hence his English name.
Kafara: African Lion
Pride leader.
Malawi: Serval
A smallish African cat with long legs and big ears. Malawi is currently waiting for a mate to arrive so that they can start breeding.
Pepo: Cheetah
The worlds fastest land animal, not that you would believe that from the Cheetahs at WHF, Pepo in particular seemed to spend the whole day flat out in the grass.
Mephisto: Cheetah
One of the advantages of being the only one there was that I got to hand feed Mephisto, quite an experience! Mephisto is the younger of the two Cheetahs here and as you can see still has a little of the mane that baby Cheetahs have.
Tula: Pallas Cat
Pallas Cats (also known as Pallas's Cat or Manual Cat) come from all around the Himilayan area and are thought to be the cat that the domestic Persian cat was bred from. They are also considered to be the most spiteful cat in the WHF collection.
Tamair: Siberian Tiger
Siberian (or Amur) Tigers are the biggest of all the cats. Tamair was a pain to photograph as he'd dragged his meat into a small cave in his enclosure and spent most of the day with his head burried in there chewing the bone.
Makari: Siberian Tiger
Makari on the other hand was a joy to photograph, he just sat there staring straight into the lens with that "You look like a tasty snack" look on his face.
Bawa: Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran Tigers are the smallest and rarest living breed of tiger and have much less white in their coat. Also their coat is thick than other tigers to help deal with the thick jungle they live in. Sumatran tigers are such strong swimmers that they have been seen 5Km out at sea when swimming between islands. Bawa is one of two cubs at WHF and again it is hoped that within the next generation or two these stunning animals can be reintroduced in to the wild.
Viktoria: Puma
One of a pair of Puma sisters, Viktoria is less grumpy and more willing to perform than her sister Valentina. Viktoria's best trick is jumping from one side of the pool of water to the other, something I failed to capture perfectly.
Ranschan: Snow Leopard
It's almost impossible to say how many Snow Leopards there are in the wild, estimates vary between 3500 and 7000, because of the terrain they live in. It's also almost impossible to say how beautiful the Sow Leopard coat is, although it looks a million times better on the cat than it does a human!
Ranschan spent almost all day at the top of a tree in a very dark enclosure. This shot was taken at 1/20th sec at 400mm ... not ideal!
Mizi: Snow Leopard
Bruno: Siberian / Bengal Tiger Hybrid
Bruno was rescued from a circus and is a hybrid between Siberian and Bengal tigers. Circuses used to interbreed these species to get the prettyness of the Bengal with the size of the Siberian. He is also the second oldest cat at WHF and is now suffering with a little arthritis.
Padmini: Bengal Tiger
Bengals are reckoned to be the most beautiful of all the tigers and have that Shere Khan type story book look about them. Padmini is the oldest cat at WHF and is also Bruno mate for many years. Padmini now holds a very special place in my heart as she laid down right in front of me and allowed me to stroke her!
A day I'll never forget! Thanks for reading this far. C&C welcomed as ever.
ETA: A link to the set on Flickr incase anyone wants to see them bigger.
The place itself was amazing ( WHF) and as luck would have it I was the only person booked in that day, which would offer me plenty of benefits over the day (not least a one to one day with a pro wildlife tog). So, schedule out of the window we decided to wander around and go to which ever cats were doing something interesting at the time.
Artem: Amur Leopard
Amur Leopards are probably the worlds rarest cat, only approx. 35-40 are left in the wild today. The European breeding programme however has around 120 cats and they are hoping that within the next couple of generations they will be releasing captive bred animals back to the wild. Artem decided that I was getting a little to close to his enclosure and charged me ... needless to say looking through a 400mm lens at the time was a tad worrying (and lead to the pro tog laughing at me as I scrambled to get away).
Anuy: Amur Leopard
Anuy is one of two Amur Leopard cubs at WHF, the hope is that his children will be released back to the wild.
Petra: Eurasian Lynx
A very pretty and friendly little cat, even if she did have a habit of poking her tongue out at me.
Tiny: African Lion
Most cats in captivity are given names relating to their native country, however Tiny was born with a hole in his heart and wasn't expected to live longer than a few days, hence his English name.
Kafara: African Lion
Pride leader.
Malawi: Serval
A smallish African cat with long legs and big ears. Malawi is currently waiting for a mate to arrive so that they can start breeding.
Pepo: Cheetah
The worlds fastest land animal, not that you would believe that from the Cheetahs at WHF, Pepo in particular seemed to spend the whole day flat out in the grass.
Mephisto: Cheetah
One of the advantages of being the only one there was that I got to hand feed Mephisto, quite an experience! Mephisto is the younger of the two Cheetahs here and as you can see still has a little of the mane that baby Cheetahs have.
Tula: Pallas Cat
Pallas Cats (also known as Pallas's Cat or Manual Cat) come from all around the Himilayan area and are thought to be the cat that the domestic Persian cat was bred from. They are also considered to be the most spiteful cat in the WHF collection.
Tamair: Siberian Tiger
Siberian (or Amur) Tigers are the biggest of all the cats. Tamair was a pain to photograph as he'd dragged his meat into a small cave in his enclosure and spent most of the day with his head burried in there chewing the bone.
Makari: Siberian Tiger
Makari on the other hand was a joy to photograph, he just sat there staring straight into the lens with that "You look like a tasty snack" look on his face.
Bawa: Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran Tigers are the smallest and rarest living breed of tiger and have much less white in their coat. Also their coat is thick than other tigers to help deal with the thick jungle they live in. Sumatran tigers are such strong swimmers that they have been seen 5Km out at sea when swimming between islands. Bawa is one of two cubs at WHF and again it is hoped that within the next generation or two these stunning animals can be reintroduced in to the wild.
Viktoria: Puma
One of a pair of Puma sisters, Viktoria is less grumpy and more willing to perform than her sister Valentina. Viktoria's best trick is jumping from one side of the pool of water to the other, something I failed to capture perfectly.
Ranschan: Snow Leopard
It's almost impossible to say how many Snow Leopards there are in the wild, estimates vary between 3500 and 7000, because of the terrain they live in. It's also almost impossible to say how beautiful the Sow Leopard coat is, although it looks a million times better on the cat than it does a human!
Ranschan spent almost all day at the top of a tree in a very dark enclosure. This shot was taken at 1/20th sec at 400mm ... not ideal!
Mizi: Snow Leopard
Bruno: Siberian / Bengal Tiger Hybrid
Bruno was rescued from a circus and is a hybrid between Siberian and Bengal tigers. Circuses used to interbreed these species to get the prettyness of the Bengal with the size of the Siberian. He is also the second oldest cat at WHF and is now suffering with a little arthritis.
Padmini: Bengal Tiger
Bengals are reckoned to be the most beautiful of all the tigers and have that Shere Khan type story book look about them. Padmini is the oldest cat at WHF and is also Bruno mate for many years. Padmini now holds a very special place in my heart as she laid down right in front of me and allowed me to stroke her!
A day I'll never forget! Thanks for reading this far. C&C welcomed as ever.
ETA: A link to the set on Flickr incase anyone wants to see them bigger.
Edited by Dogsey on Monday 5th October 22:48
this -
and this -
are truly stunning in my eyes.
I would have fallen for the 2nd puma shot if you hadnt clipped the ears too.Love the facial expression.
I remember you asking about lenses, and have just read a where to hire lens thread which made me wonder if you had been yet or not.
Good work, we like.
and this -
are truly stunning in my eyes.
I would have fallen for the 2nd puma shot if you hadnt clipped the ears too.Love the facial expression.
I remember you asking about lenses, and have just read a where to hire lens thread which made me wonder if you had been yet or not.
Good work, we like.
Thanks for the comments guys. It really is a fantastic place with amazing access to some stunning animals. Anybody who has the chance to go should.
I'm already working out when I can go back, although this time I might just hire a different lens. I'll probably wait until their newest arrivals are available for the tog days, Clouded Leopards and Northern Chinese Leopards.
I'm already working out when I can go back, although this time I might just hire a different lens. I'll probably wait until their newest arrivals are available for the tog days, Clouded Leopards and Northern Chinese Leopards.
great photos gotta get myself a proper camera Dogsey said:
crmcatee said:
I can't believe I didn't know about it - it's about 10 miles from me. !!
They're not exactly forward with their advertising, they don't even give you their address until a few days before you go.crmcatee said:
Dogsey said:
crmcatee said:
I can't believe I didn't know about it - it's about 10 miles from me. !!
They're not exactly forward with their advertising, they don't even give you their address until a few days before you go.
I never even looked on the contact us page! 
Now will 200mm (plus TC) on a 1.5 crop sesor be enough - or do I need to use this as an excuse to hire a 200-400mm??? !Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff