RARE: Creatures of the Photo Ark

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I’m Joel Sartore.

Ever wonder about those wildlife photographers who risk life and limb to get the perfect shot? That’s me. I’ve spent 25 years with National Geographic—and I’ve got the stories and scars to prove it. These days my focus is on the Photo Ark, the world’s largest collection of animal studio portraits. My goal is simple: to get the public to care and save species from extinction.

8000 species photographed for the Photo Ark
A modern-day Noah

—NBC Nightly News
1 porcupine named Piper on the cover of
National Geographic
4 times chased by grizzlies
250 talks given worldwide
2 spitting cobras found in camera gear

Speaking Engagements

“Joel never fails to dazzle.”
Known for his sense of humor and incredible stories from the field, Joel is a popular speaker with conservation, corporate, and civic groups.

Hire him to entertain and inspire your audience.

Book Joel to Speak

Recent Talks

Picture of a flock of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) feeding.

South Georgia king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus) at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Geoffroy's tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, TX.

Picture of an opossum (Didelphis virginiana) with babies.

A pair of blue poison dart frogs (Dendrobates azureus) at Reptile Gardens.

Picture of a black swan (Cygnus atratus) at the Kansas City Zoo.

Picture of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Budgett's frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis) at the Baltimore Aquarium.

Vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) named 'Usi' from the Omaha Zoo.

A vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered, nine-week-old clouded leopard cub (Neofelis nebulosa) at the Columbus Zoo.

A male eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) at the Great Plains Zoo.

Joel is the founder of the Photo Ark, a 25-year effort to photograph every species in human care around the globe.

Explore the Photo Ark

A vulnerable male African lion (Panthera leo krugeri) named Mr. Big at the Omaha Zoo.

Picture of a six-day-old Malayan tapir, Tapirus indicus, at the Minnesota Zoo. Endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered

An endangered (IUCN) and federally threatened Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) at the Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park and Wildlife Safari near Ashland, Nebraska.

A grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) with a pair of West African black-crowned cranes (Balearica pavonina pavonina) at the Columbus Zoo, Columbus, Ohio.

James bond the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) at The Living Desert.

Picture of a great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata) at the Houston Zoo.

A Northern bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) at the Houston Zoo. This is a critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered bird from the Middle East.

Northern White-faced Owls (Ptilopsis leucotis) at the Cincinnati Zoo.

A pair of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua papua).

In vogue no more, the endangered grey gibbon (Hylobates muelleri muelleri) will not be seen in captivity much longer. There are now too few in captivity to keep their population sustained and too few in the wild to bring more in. With limited space and funding, zoos must make hard choices every year in deciding which species to breed and which to let go, or 'phase out'. Often zoos go with more showy species of primate to propagate, leaving the fate of the more drab species in question.

With one of the world's largest migratory routes, the red knot (Calidris canutus rufa) finds itself especially susceptible to any disruption in its feeding areas along the way. Overfishing of horseshoe crabs along the eastern coast of the US has taken away a much-needed source of energy for the species. (US: Candidate for listing)

Picture of a vulnerable (IUCN) and federally endangered cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) at the Columbus Zoo.

Picture of a vulnerable (IUCN) and federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) at the Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia, South Carolina.

Picture of an Argentine horned frog (Ceratophrys ornata) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Picture of a rusty-spotted genet or Central African large-spotted genet (Genetta maculata) at the Miller Park Zoo.

Picture of a white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) named Gonzo at The Living Desert.

A male wrinkled hornbill (Rhabdotorrhinus corrugatus) at the Houston Zoo.

A captive, five-month-old mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. IUCN: Vulnerable

A giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) at Zoo Atlanta. This endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered species is native to China.

Picture of Week old western snowy plover chicks (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

A vulnerable (IUCN) and federally-endangered clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) at the Houston Zoo. The population trend of the clouded leopard is decreasing with less than 10,000 in the wild.

Joel Sartore News

USA Today Publishes Story About 12 Days of Photo Ark

On December 12th, 2017, USA Today published a story documenting the Photo Ark’s 12 Days of Christmas social media campaign. The Photo Ark project, which aims to document every species living in the world’s zoos and other protected areas before they’re extinct, is releasing one photo a day for 12 days on social media. From koalas to…

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