Animals on the Edge
Reporting from the Frontline of Extinction
Chris Weston & Art Wolfe
Animals on the Edge: Reporting from the Frontline of Extinction investigates why threatened wildlife populations are still in decline and reveals how, by making animals worth more alive than dead, we can turn the tide in the battle against extinction.
The book has been described as the most up-to-date visual survey of our world’s rare and endangered mammals, and features stunning photographs of 60 mammals on the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Chris Weston and Art Wolfe are among the finest wildlife photographers at work today, and passionate advocates of wildlife conservation, while the International Union for Conservation of Nature – IUCN – is the global authority on the status of animal and plant species worldwide. Animals on the Edge combines spectacular imagery with a wealth of factual information, engaging narrative, and an impassioned message.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Dr Jane Smart, OBE • Introduction • The Americas Europe & North Asia • Africa • East, West & South Asia • Southeast Asia & Oceania • Prevention Rather than Cure • On Assignment: A Photographer’s Journal • Animals on the Edge: The Next Steps
In vision: photo documentaries
The Big Cats
Every one of the species that make up the big cat family is endangered to one degree or another. Some, like the Amur leopard and Iberian lynx are clinging to existense. This is their story.
The Great Apes
They’re our closest relatives and all of them are endangered. While photographing for the book, I encountered the best and the worst of humans’ interactions with the great apes.
The book in numbers
Continents
Every continent on Earth has endangered species, some more than others. In making the book, I travelled to and photographed wildlife in five of them – Europe, Africa, Asia, North America and South America.
Species
Whittling down the number of species to cover from the thousands listed in the IUCN’s Red List database was no easy task. Finally, I settled on terrestrial mammals and chose 50, from the most iconic to the most threatened.
Field days
Across two years, I spent 184 days in the field photographing some of the world’s rarest and most elusive creatures. The most difficult of all was the wild Asiatic water buffalo, in Nepal. By the end of the shoot, half my field team quit.
Images
In two years in the field, I shot over 36,800 digital images on 7 different cameras, using 8 lenses. At the end of each assignment, the images had to be edited and then began the process of choosing images for the book.
Tiger territory
Because of awareness raised by the book, through the associated NGO in the United States, we worked with the Director of Kanha National Tiger Reserve to double the size of tiger territory within the Park’s five core zones.
Reviews
“One of the best books I have gotten. It tells of the endangered animals and puts you in their habitats. Absolutely fantastic.” – Jill | Amazon review
“This book is a great insight into wildlife and has great tips on the photography behind it. Really impressed and glad I bought it.” – Tim | Amazon review
“Thought provoking and great pictures.” – N Matthews | Amazon review