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Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife - Winner

Tom Schandy Click to enlarge The look of a jaguar

Tom Schandy (Norway)

The look of a jaguar

In a small, protected area of swamp-forest in the western area of the Pantanal wetland, in Mato Grosso, Brazil, jaguars still roam free from human harassment. They're notoriously difficult to see, and pawprints are as lucky as most people get. Along the riverbanks, though, it's possible to spot them. When Tom took a boat down the Rio Paraguay, he saw four jaguars in three days. This male had picked a slightly concealed spot where he could watch for prey such as capybara. Tom observed him for an hour. 'He was totally calm, even though he was aware of us.' At sunset, the jaguar rose, yawned and scent-marked. Then he faded back into the dense forest.

Canon EOS-ID Mark III + 500mm f4 lens; 1/250 sec at f4; ISO 400; beanbag

This photograph is available to buy as a print.

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