This video requires the latest version of Flash Player. Click here to download. This video requires the latest version of Flash Player. Click here to download.Drawing the African Lion
How did artist Fernando Baptista draw this lifelike lion? Obsession, he says.
Behind the Photos
Capturing a lion, tiger, or leopard on camera is challenging enough for most photographers. Now imagine persuading a big cat to pose for a studio-style portrait.
For the magazine's "Cats in Crisis" poster, National Geographic photographer Vincent J. Musi wanted to light the animals in a way that would truly showcase their muscular grace, piercing gazes, and gleaming coats.
"These animals were not actors; they weren't under control or chained," Musi says. "We were trying to do something different."
He turned to the Houston Zoo, which had seven of the world's big cat species. (Musi photographed the eighth, a snow leopard, at Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke, Virginia.) The zoos let him work in a small holding area adjacent to the animals' main living areas, enabling him to get much closer to the cats than most people (or photographers) ever do.
And then the challenge begins. "You've got to look at his space, where he's comfortable, and say: How can we make this work?" Musi recalls.
He rigged up strobe lights and makeshift black backdrops of paint, plywood, and paper. Then it became "a waiting game," with Musi standing behind a chain-link fence for protection.
It could be a long time before the cat entered the space and relaxed enough to settle in a suitable spot.
"That little clouded leopard took three days; they're nervous animals," Musi says.
"The lion was tough, too. He was too curious and wanted to get close the whole time. He would just plop down right in front of me, and it looked like his head was the size of a Dumpster!"
The animals were never more than eight feet away, which could be a little unnerving for both parties. And while the cats look glamorous, Musi's experience was not. "You're sitting, kneeling, or laying down, sometimes in cat urine, for 8 to 12 hours a day. It smelled nasty. Not to mention their breath!"
The snow leopard reacted to the photographer's presence by "yelling," making it impossible to get a good picture—until Musi decided that two could play that game.
"I don't know what happened, but I hit some point where I got fed up with her and just started to rant," Musi says. "I started talking about the Hindenburg disaster, Elvis Costello, whatever. The snow leopard just totally shut down and stared at me like she couldn't believe it." —Amanda Fiegl
Lion
Panthera leo
The only wild cat that lives in large family groups once roamed all of Africa and into Asia. Tanzania has the greatest number of lions.
Estimated wild population: 20,000 to 30,000*
Population in zoos: 1,888
Status: Vulnerable
*All wild cat populations are uncertain.
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Clouded Leopard
Neofelis nebulosa
Smallest of the big cats—males may reach 50 pounds—it has canine teeth as long as a tiger's. An acrobatic climber, it hunts in trees as well as on the ground in forests across Southeast Asia.
Estimated wild population: 10,000
Population in zoos: 222
Status: Vulnerable
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Jaguar
Panthera onca
Revered as a god by the ancient Aztec and Maya, the most powerful predator in Central and South America weighs up to 250 pounds. It's the third largest cat, after tigers and lions.
Estimated wild population: At least 10,000
Population in zoos: 365
Status: Near threatened
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia
The "ghost of the mountains" is at home in the Himalaya and surrounding ranges of Central Asia. In 1971 this magazine was the first to publish photos of the elusive cat taken in the wild.
Estimated wild population: 4,000 to 6,500
Population in zoos: 414
Status: Endangered
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Puma
Puma concolor
Cougar, mountain lion, panther: The cat of many names ranges from Canada to the tip of Chile. It's returning to former lands in the U.S. Midwest, but overall population is thought to be falling.
Estimated wild population: 30,000 (U.S. only)
Population in zoos: 397
Status: Least concern
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Leopard
Panthera pardus
The most widespread of big cats—found from Africa to Southeast Asia—it is most abundant in sub-Saharan Africa. Black leopards are often called black panthers.
Estimated wild population: No reliable data
Population in zoos: 853
Status: Near threatened
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Tiger
Panthera tigris
No cat is bigger, with males topping 600 pounds. Three tiger subspecies have gone extinct since the 1930s. The Malayan (pictured) and four or five other subspecies hang on in Asia.
Estimated wild population: Fewer than 4,000
Population in zoos: 1,660
Status: Endangered
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
The fastest mammal can sprint 60-plus mph. East and southwest Africa are its remaining strongholds; 70 to 110 live in Iran. Targeted by lions and hyenas, few cubs reach adulthood.
Estimated wild population: 7,000 to 10,000
Population in zoos: 1,015
Status: Vulnerable
Photograph by Vincent J. Musi
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