Joe Sulik's Image

Joe arrived in the bobcat’s territory before sunrise to start looking for her.

Finally he spotted her outline. ‘She was crouched in the long grass, all hunched up, watching for prey,’ says Joe. But she had no intention of rushing. The sun peeked above the horizon, then rose steadily up above Badlands National Park in South Dakota, USA. The bobcat continued to scan. Joe continued to watch, hidden in the long grass. A full hour later, the action began. ‘I saw her shift her weight to her hind legs,’ Joe remembers. ‘I knew I had just a fraction of a second to get ready for the shot.’ Sure enough, the bobcat suddenly pounced. Unlike the build-up, breakfast itself took just a few moments. After devouring the vole, she disappeared into the long grass, her patience – and Joe’s – rewarded.