Steve Winter
Feline Whisperer. Hollywood Hero. Big Cat Herder.
Steve has been a wildlife photojournalist and explorer for National Geographic for over two decades, producing stories on some of the world’s most elusive and iconic animals—and specializing in big cats. His documentary films on jaguars, leopards, tigers, and tree-climbing lions have aired on Nat Geo WILD and Disney+. His work has been recognized with numerous international awards, including BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year. Steve has also received top nature story honors from World Press Photo in 2008, 2014 and 2020; and he is two-time winner of Picture of the Year International’s Global Vision Award. Steve has appeared on 60 Minutes, CBS Nightly News, NPR, BBC, CNN and other outlets. He speaks globally on big cats and conservation at performing arts venues across North America and behind closed doors for companies and institutions.
To get these stories, Steve spends months working in steamy jungles and grasslands—or camping at extreme altitude in the winter, in the Himalayas. Why? Because, he needs to document unique behaviors and give us a glimpse into the unique realms of these iconic big cats. To better understand his subjects, Steve works closely with the scientists who study them and the conservationists who are working to save them.
Together with three other partners, including his wife—award-winning science journalist and author Sharon Guynup who works at the intersection of environmental issues and public policy—and fellow Changemaker, wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory, Steve founded the nonprofit organization Big Cat Voices. Its mission is to turn issues into stories, and stories into change, by creating world-class media that gives cats a voice and highlights the most pressing threats they face.
Steve has sparked change on a global level. His iconic image of the beloved and recently deceased cougar P-22 under the Hollywood sign helped create what will be the world’s largest wildlife overpass. This greenspace bridge will create a corridor and safe passage for mountain lions and other animals hemmed in by urban sprawl, giving big cats, coyotes, deer, lizards, snakes and other creatures a safe route to open space in the Santa Monica Mountains, enabling better access to food and potential mates.
Steve and Sharon’s story on the Thai Tiger Temple proved wildlife trafficking and prompted officials to shut it down; his work on jaguars in Brazil has helped them rebound; and his story on captive tigers in the U.S. helped pass a new law, the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
As Steve says, “I didn’t choose big cats, they chose me. Now I’m trying to help protect them.” When you get right down to it, saving big cats saves ourselves.
The Race to Save Big Cats
Of the 40 wild cat species that still prowl the planet, roughly 80% of their populations are now shrinking with 16 species now considered vulnerable, threatened, or endangered. Journey with award-winning photographer and filmmaker Steve Winter, as he takes you deep into their realms—from the Himalayan dreamscape of the snow leopard, through the picturesque African savannah on the trail of lions, deep into the South American rainforest to track jaguars, into the improbable Hollywood Hills lair of mountain lions, and through Asia’s dense jungles to study the most elusive of cats, the highly endangered tiger. These stories are equal parts adventure, insights into animal behavior, and an understanding of the threats - from shrinking habitat, to human conflicts, loss of prey and climate change. Steve also documents the places where we are learning to coexist and the heroic conservation efforts that are making a difference worldwide.
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Photos: Steve Winter
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