An Encounter with Nature

As a nature photographer, I have to 【小题1】 the elements. But despite the wind and the rain, I still enjoy 【小题2】outside in the wild. One of the best things about this job is that you can observe animals in their natural environment.

My favourite place to take photos is Yellowstone National Park. As the world’s first national park, Yellowstone is famous for the variety of its wildlife, but it is 【小题3】 best known for its bears. These huge, strong animals can live for 30 years. Despite a weight of up to 300 kilograms, they can run at a speed of around 64 kilometres per hour and are also 【小题4】 swimmers.

Last spring in Yellowstone, I followed a path that took me through a dark forest. When I finally stepped out of the trees, the view was 【小题5】. An eagle flew over the snow-capped mountains, which were reflected in the still lake below. While I was concentrating on photographing this amazing scene, I 【小题6】 had a feeling that I was being watched. Slowly, and with the camera still held to my eye, I turned… and froze. Only meters away from me was a bear. With water 【小题7】 off its thick, brown hair, the bear stared back at me. Time stood still as the bear and I both waited to see who would move first. My legs started 【小题8】. Somehow, I forced my finger to press the button. A second later, the bear turned and ran back into the forest. When I recovered from the shock, I looked at my camera. My most frightening but magical experience was now 【小题9】 forever in a single image.

From time to time I look at the photo as a 【小题10】 to show respect to all animals. It is after all we who are the visitors to their world.

The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) 【小题1】 the many species of plants and animals that 【小题2】 around the world. The WWF wants more people to 【小题3】 the problem, so they will stop hurting wildlife and 【小题4】 solutions. Very few people in modern society actually intend to harm animals. Most people do not realise that many animal species cannot 【小题5】 the changes brought about by modern civilisation. It is for this reason that the WWF constantly 【小题6】 information to stir up public interest in the welfare of the planet.

“When a snow leopard follows its prey (猎物) among the mountain walls, it moves... softly, slowly,” explains Indian biologist Raghunandan, who has studied animals for years. “If it knocks a stone loose, it will 【小题1】 out a foot to stop it from falling and making noise.” One might be moving right now, 【小题2】 silent, maybe close by. But where?

Best known for its 【小题3】 coat and long distinctive tail, the snow leopard is one of the world’s most secretive animals. These big cats can only be found high in the remote, 【小题4】 regions of Central Asia. For this reason, and because they hunt 【小题5】 at night, they are very rarely seen.

Snow leopards have been officially protected since 1975, but enforcing this law has proven difficult. Many continue to be killed for their fur and body parts, which are 【小题6】 a fortune on the black market. In recent years, though, conflict with local herders (牧人) has also led to a number of snow leopard deaths. This is because the big cats kill the herders’ animals, and drag the bodies away high up in the mountains to eat. Thus, the herders’ animals are in danger of snow leopard attacks, which can push those herders into desperate poverty. To address this problem, local religious leaders have called for an end to snow leopard killings, saying that these wild animals have the 【小题7】 to exist peacefully. They’ve also tried to 【小题8】 people that it is of great importance to protect those big cats.

As a result of these pressures, the 【小题9】 snow leopard population is estimated at only 4,000 to 7,000, and some fear that the actual number may already have dropped below 3,500．The only way to 【小题10】 this trend and bring these cats back from their threatened status, say conservationists, is to make them more valuable alive than dead.