A federally endangered Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi, at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.
Now in its 15th year, Photo Ark has become an important tool for raising awareness about conservation issues.
As Photo Ark celebrates its 15-year anniversary, the project continues to get people talking about endangered species.
A federally endangered Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi, at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
To celebrate this special anniversary, Photo Ark is currently running a sale on its print inventory.
All proceeds from the store go back into making the project possible.
Read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
A federally threatened koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, with her babies at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
A federally threatened koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, with her babies at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.
The mission behind the National Geographic Photo Ark hasnt changed.
If anything, I feel like weve made an actual impact.
A pygmy slow loris, Nycticebus pygmaeus, at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
Thats always going to be an uphill battle, but Im proud to say that weve moved the needle.
A pygmy slow loris, Nycticebus pygmaeus, at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
Historically, the Florida grasshopper sparrow inhabited the prairies of central Florida.
Two Golden snub-nosed monkeys, Rhinopithecus roxellana, at Ocean Park Hong Kong. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
Two Golden snub-nosed monkeys, Rhinopithecus roxellana, at Ocean Park Hong Kong.
(Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
You’re now more than halfway through the 25-year project.
What’s been the most challenging part of Photo Ark?
An endangered baby Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, named Aurora, with her adoptive mother, Cheyenne, a Bornean/Sumatran cross, Pongo pygmaeus x abelii, at the Houston Zoo. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
My goal is to photograph the approximately 20,000 species in the worlds zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries.
At this moment, Ive photographed nearly 12,000 species.
I’ll have to travel farther and wider to get the remaining species for Photo Ark.
An endangered Malayan tiger, Panthera tigris jacksoni, at Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo. (Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
What’s on the roster coming up and what’s the game plan for the next 10 years?
Well, Im now able to do a bit more traveling.
Soon Ill be working in Peru, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
For the next 10 years or more, Ill be working on Photo Ark.
The bottom line is, Ill likely be doing this for the rest of my lifetime.
I want people to care, to fall in love, and to take action for species conservation.
Quite literally, our future depends on nature.
We cannot continue to destroy one species and ecosystem after another and think it wont matter to humanity.
I hope to take a photo of the Amazon river dolphin, also known as the pink river dolphin.
It only lives in freshwater in South America.
An endangered Malayan tiger, Panthera tigris jacksoni, at Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo.
(Photo: Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark)
