National Geographic Live! On the Trail of Big Cats

Overview

Join award-winning National Geographic photographer Steve Winter for a thrilling journey into the world of big cats. From trekking high in India’s Himalaya in search of rare snow leopards and stalking the elusive jaguar through Latin American jungles to chronicling the nocturnal activities of the “American lion” or cougar, this determined explorer ventures far and wide to come face to face with his subjects. This is no easy task. Since many big cat species are in danger of extinction, they have good reason to avoid humans.

While these felines may be endangered, they're still wild, unpredictable creatures, and caution is required in their presence. Negotiating their habitats can be more dangerous still. Winter has been attacked by rhinos and gotten stuck in quicksand while working in the field. There have been lighter moments as well: mishaps with remote-controlled cameras, and waiting on a Southern California hillside to catch a shot of a cougar under the famous “Hollywood” sign. Throughout it all, Winter’s mission is to share the beauty of big cats while reinvigorating efforts to save them. One of Winter’s snow leopard images won him the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. His decade-long project to document the world’s shrinking but resilient tiger species recently culminated in the stunning National Geographic Steve Winter, Photographer book, Tigers Forever, co-authored with Sharon Guynup. Spend an evening daringly close to tigers, snow leopards, jaguars, and cougars⎯through the unforgettable stories and images of Steve Winter.

Join Us for a Pre-Show Party!

Discovery Place Science, 6 pm

It's all about cats both big and small! Join us at Discovery Place Science to identify the genetic and physical adaptations that make both wild and domestic cats the way they are. Get hands on and dirty with what comes out of the front end of some and the back end of all cats. Classify species based on teeth replicas and explore our collection of large cat furs and skulls with our Collections staff.