2014 Photo Contest, Nature, 1st prize

Cougars

Photographer

Steve Winter

for National Geographic

27 March, 2012

A cougar returns to feed on an elk carcass.

Cougars, once in decline, have for the past 40 years been making a comeback across the western United States—though they remain extremely elusive. The cats are protected in California and Florida, but prized game in 13 other states.

The success of the recovery in cougar numbers depends in part on where the public will tolerate them, and on strategies for dealing with the difficulties of interaction between humans and cougars in populated regions.

About the photographer

Steve Winter

American photographer Steve Winter started taking photos as a child while growing up in rural Indiana. After graduating from the Academy of Art and the University of San Francisc...

Technical information

Shutter Speed
0.6
Focal length
12.0 mm
F-Stop
9.0
ISO
800

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