Wildlife photographer Sascha Fonseca specializes in DSLR camera traps. Although he was born in Germany, he came to Dubai to pursue his passion for wildlife.
One day, in December 2021, Sascha installed a camera trap in the birch forests of eastern Russia, and a stunning image of a very rare Siberian tiger in its native habitat was obtained.
Sascha claims that using DSLR camera traps gives him access to a level of wildlife photography that is otherwise impossible.
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There it stands, almost as if it’s from a scene drawn out of a fantasy movie, exquisitely surrounded by angel-white snow, which further magnifies its glory.
He further shares, “Tigers are mostly nocturnal which means they are active mostly during the night. You could spend months or even years staked out and not capture a single image. Camera traps can.”
He was an expert with camera traps and managed to film an unidentified male Siberian tiger. Researchers gave Fonseca the opportunity to name the tiger, as a special thank you for capturing the newly found beast on camera. When considering names for the animal, Fonseca chose the name Leo after spotting a striking L pattern on his cheekbone. He also intends to pay tribute to Russian writer Leo Tolstoy by the use of this name.
“A male Siberian tiger passed by my camera trap deep in the forests of Far East Russia,” says Fonseca. He further goes on to state, “It turned out that it’s an unknown male which had not been documented yet. So, the researchers I worked with during my camera trap project invited me to give him a name. It’s a special honor and it connects you with the animal on a personal level.”
The biggest tigers in the world, Siberian tigers are mostly found in North Korea, China’s northeast, and Russia’s Far East. Siberian tigers are in danger of going extinct due to widespread poaching. Currently, there are less than 400 of them surviving in the wild, making them one of the species classified as severely endangered. Fonseca wants to promote the importance of safeguarding animals and the environment via his art.
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