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Leopard Tree Photography, Maitland (2026)

13/06/2026

☀️ Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus) ☀️

The Sun Bear is the smallest bear species in the world, yet it plays a vital role in maintaining healthy rainforest ecosystems across Southeast Asia.

Known for having the longest tongue of any bear, reaching up to 25 cm (10 inches), Sun Bears use their powerful claws and incredible sense of smell to locate insects, honey, and fruit hidden throughout the forest. They are excellent climbers and often build nests high in the canopy where they rest among the trees. Their distinctive chest markings are unique to each individual, making every Sun Bear truly one of a kind.

Despite their importance to rainforest health through seed dispersal and insect control, Sun Bears face increasing pressures from habitat loss, deforestation, illegal poaching, and the exotic pet trade. As forests are cleared and fragmented, these shy bears are finding it harder to survive in the wild.

While they may be the world’s smallest bear, their role in the rainforest is anything but small. Every image shared, every conversation started, and every conservation effort made helps bring attention to one of the most overlooked bears on our planet.

15/05/2026

The Last Runners of the Rainforest

Native to the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, and parts of Honduras, this prehistoric-looking reptile spends most of its life near rivers and streams deep in the jungle.

Known as the “Jesus Christ Lizard,” the Plumed Basilisk can run across water using its powerful back legs and specially adapted feet, reaching speeds fast enough to stay above the surface for short distances.

For thousands of years, they’ve survived tropical storms, predators, floods, and the harsh conditions of the rainforest . but they can’t outrun deforestation.

As forests are cleared and waterways disappear, the basilisk loses the dense jungle it relies on for shelter, hunting, and survival. Every fallen tree and damaged riverbank pushes these ancient reptiles further from the wild places they’ve inhabited for centuries.

07/05/2026

From a young age, one voice was always in the background of my life growing up… and still is today. A voice filled with wonder, calmness, wisdom, and knowledge.
Sir David Attenborough.
Today he turns 100 years old.
I was born in 2000, meaning there were already decades of stories, discoveries, documentaries, and books waiting for me to experience. But that was only the beginning.
Growing up, I would sit for hours watching Animal Planet and Nat Geo Wild, and I owe a lot of that to my grandmother. She gave me the freedom to explore the natural world through a television screen, guided by David Attenborough’s voice.
No words can truly express what that man has done for this planet and for generations of people. He didn’t just show us animals… he taught us to respect them. To understand them. To care.
From the unforgettable moment he sat peacefully among mountain gorillas in Rwanda, gaining the trust of one of the most powerful and intelligent creatures on Earth,to standing beside the largest animal to have ever lived the blue whale ,reminding us how vast and extraordinary our world truly is.
He showed us birds dancing in jungles, deep-sea creatures glowing in darkness, deserts full of hidden life, and forests breathing with sounds most people will never hear in person.
He has witnessed the planet change across an entire century and used his voice not for fame, but to protect what cannot speak for itself.
For many people, he was a narrator. For others, a teacher. For some, the reason they pursued conservation, photography, biology, filmmaking, or exploration.
For me, he became part of the soundtrack of curiosity.
Happy 100th Birthday, Sir David Attenborough. Thank you for showing generations of people that this world is worth protecting, exploring, and falling in love with.

26/04/2026

Deep in West Africa’s forests, something rare is quietly fading away.

pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis)

Fewer than 2,500 remain in the wild, silent, solitary, and slipping closer to extinction every year.
Unlike their larger cousins, pygmy hippos don’t dominate rivers; they move like ghosts through dense rainforest, walking hidden paths along streams under the cover of night.
But their world is disappearing.
Deforestation, logging, mining, and agriculture are tearing apart the forests they depend on, fragmenting their habitat and pushing them closer to humans, where poaching becomes unavoidable.

Most live in Liberia, with smaller populations in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire.

They are one of Africa’s most elusive mammals, rarely seen, barely studied, and easily forgotten. Their survival depends on dense, undisturbed forest, the exact environment disappearing fastest.

With slow reproduction and isolated populations, every loss hits harder. There’s no quick recovery for a species already on the edge.

Conservation efforts are fighting back:
• Protecting key habitats like Sapo National Park
• Anti-poaching laws and forest protection
• Scientific monitoring and camera-trap research
• Captive breeding programs to preserve the species

This is a species that survives by staying unseen, but that invisibility may be its greatest threat.
If we don’t protect what’s hidden,
we risk losing it forever.

27/03/2026

THE SALTWATER CROCODILE

The Saltwater Crocodile is more than a predator—it’s one of Australia’s greatest conservation success stories.

Once heavily hunted for their skin through the 20th century, wild populations crashed dramatically. By the early 1970s, they were on the brink in many parts of northern Australia.

Then everything changed:
• Legal protection introduced in the 1970s
• Strict management and monitoring programs
• Habitat protection across northern waterways

Today, saltwater crocodiles have recovered strongly, with tens of thousands now inhabiting regions from the Northern Territory to Queensland and Western Australia.
But success comes with complexity…
The challenges of coexistence
As crocodile numbers rebound, human populations are also expanding into coastal and river systems—leading to increased encounters.

• Crocodiles are highly territorial apex predators
• They can grow over 6 metres and deliver the strongest bite force of any living animal
• Ambush hunters—fast, silent, and almost invisible in water • They have tiny sensory organs on their jaws that can detect the smallest ripples in water—basically a built-in motion radar
• They can hold their breath for over an hour when resting, slowing their heart rate to conserve oxygen
• “Salties” aren’t just river animals—they’re one of the few reptiles that can cross open ocean
• Some have been tracked travelling hundreds of kilometres, riding currents between islands and coastlines

This makes them dangerous when boundaries are ignored—not because they’re aggressive by nature, but because they are perfectly adapted to hunt.

Why they matter
Saltwater crocodiles play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance:
• Regulating prey populations
• Removing sick and weak animals
• Supporting the health of aquatic systems

The reality
Crocodiles aren’t the villains; it’s misunderstanding and complacency.
Every warning sign exists because these animals demand respect

14/03/2026

A tiger’s life begins in secrecy.

After about 100–105 days of gestation, a tigress gives birth to a litter—usually 2 to 4 cubs—hidden in dense vegetation, rocky crevices, or hollow logs. At birth, they weigh roughly 1 kilogram, are blind, and are completely dependent on their mother.

Their eyes open after about a week. Within 2 months, they begin eating meat, but milk remains essential while their bodies and immune systems develop.

What looks like play—stalking siblings, pouncing, swatting tails—is actually neurological and physical training. These behaviours develop the coordination, muscle control, and hunting instincts needed to survive. Tiger cubs are learning the mechanics of ambush predation: patience, silence, explosive speed, and precision.

Between 5 and 6 months of age, cubs begin accompanying their mother on hunts. They observe first. Then they practice. Most early attempts fail. Failure is part of the curriculum.

By 18–24 months, the cubs are nearly adult size, capable of bringing down prey such as deer or wild boar. Soon after, they disperse to establish territories of their own—an essential process that maintains genetic diversity across tiger populations.

Only about half of tiger cubs survive to independence. Predation, starvation, territorial conflict, and human pressures all shape their chances.

Those that do survive become one of the most specialised apex predators on Earth—solitary, powerful, and vital to maintaining balance in their ecosystems. Where tigers thrive, entire forests thrive.

Protecting tiger habitat isn’t just about saving a species. It’s about preserving the complex ecosystems that depend on them.

15/02/2026

BROLGA – Australia’s Wetland Crane

The brolga is one of Australia’s largest flying birds and is commonly found in northern and eastern wetlands. Recognised by its tall grey body and distinctive red head, the species is well known for its elaborate courtship displays and strong pair bonds.

Facts:
• Height: up to 1.3 metres
• Wingspan: 2.4–2.5 metres
• Lifespan: 20–30 years
• Diet: insects, seeds, aquatic plants, frogs, and small reptiles
• Habitat: freshwater wetlands, floodplains, and grasslands
• Nesting: large mound nests built in shallow water
• Social behaviour: pairs or family groups, sometimes large flocks outside breeding season

Threats & Concerns:
• Habitat loss from land clearing and urban or agricultural development
• Wetland drainage and altered natural flooding cycles
• Powerline collisions in open landscapes
• Disturbance during breeding from vehicles, livestock, and human activity
• Climate change affecting rainfall patterns and water availability
• Water pollution and pesticides reducing food sources and water quality

Protecting wetland environments is essential for maintaining stable brolga populations and supporting the wider ecosystems that depend on these habitats.

22/01/2026

Meet the binturong, also called the bearcat (not a bear, not a cat, very important). This shy, tree-dwelling mammal lives in Southeast Asian rainforests and plays a huge role in keeping them alive.

Binturongs eat fruit especially figs and spread seeds across the forest as they move through the canopy. No binturongs means fewer trees. Fewer trees means weaker forests. Simple, brutal math.

🌳 What’s threatening them?
Deforestation for logging and palm oil
Fragmented habitats that isolate populations
Illegal wildlife trade and exotic pet demand
Human conflict as forests disappear

They’re slow, solitary, and mostly nocturnal traits that make them vulnerable, not expendable. Losing them doesn’t just mean losing a strange, beautiful animal. It means losing a quiet architect of the rainforest.

Not all conservation icons are loud or flashy. Some smell like popcorn and hold ecosystems together in silence.

06/01/2026

The African lion
A symbol of power, pride, and balance, the African lion is a keystone species that holds entire ecosystems together. Living in close-knit prides, lions shape the savanna in ways few animals can. Once ranging across vast stretches of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, their world has been reduced to scattered remnants.

Dangers facing lions
African lion numbers have fallen by around 90% in the last century. Their land is being carved up by farms, roads, and fences. Wild prey is disappearing. Snares and poaching kill indiscriminately. Climate change dries rivers, empties grasslands, and tightens the margins of survival. None of these pressures act alone; together, they slowly suffocate a species.

When the roar fades.
The Barbary lion once ruled North Africa. Today, it is gone, not hiding, not recovering, just erased.
The Asiatic lion now survives in a single forest in India, its entire species confined to one fragile place.
This is the path lions walk: from dominance, to decline, to a final silence no one can undo.

Extinction is not dramatic. It is quiet. It happens while the world carries on. And if lions vanish, it won’t be because nature failed them; it will be because we allowed a living symbol of the wild to slip into memory.
When the roar disappears, something ancient and irreplaceable disappears with it.

31/12/2025

I’m a photographer in motion.
My style shifts. My eye sharpens. My work evolves because I do.

A new year is just a line in the sand, but it’s a useful one. New chances to experiment, to take risks, to follow ideas that didn’t exist last year. Same curiosity but a different direction.

You’ll notice the branding change along the way too. Logos that adapt to the story being told, not the other way around. Because staying the same is comfortable, and comfort has never made interesting images.

Here’s to new light, new angles, and letting the work keep becoming what it needs to be.

#2026

Leopard Tree Photography

13/06/2026

15/05/2026

07/05/2026

26/04/2026

27/03/2026

14/03/2026

15/02/2026

22/01/2026

06/01/2026

31/12/2025

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