Faces of species at the brink of extinction

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A new book by British photographer Tim Flach documents some treasured species driven to the brink of extinction, from pangolins hunted for their scales to Brazil's pied tamarin threatened by urbanization.

"Most of the changes in the past have been driven by natural forces, but on this occasion, it seems to be driven by us," said Flach.

A pied tamarin photographed by Tim Flach. /AFP Photo

"My real question is: 'Why am I here doing it? Why am I here taking a picture of the last male white rhino?' It's the question of how we got to that point, rather than simply one of wonderment."

A Philippine eagle photographed by Tim Flach. /AFP Photo

Coral, insects and even some ecosystems are included alongside some of the most recognizable threatened mammals such as polar bears and lesser-known creatures like harlequin toads.

A Bengal tiger photographed by Tim Flach. /AFP Photo

The panda is one of the least vulnerable species found in the more than 150 images of "Endangered," whose release coincides with a new exhibition of Flach's photos in London's Osborne Samuel Gallery.

A snow leopard photographed by Tim Flach. /AFP Photo

Flach, 59, known for his highly stylized photographs of dogs and horses, captures the animals' almost human expressions.

A military macaw photographed by Tim Flach. /AFP Photo

He often uses a black velvet backdrop and his lighting captures colors in such detail that one can almost feel the softness of the lemur's black, orange and white fur.

Pangolins are one of the creatures most threatened by the illegal wildlife trade. This white-bellied pangolin can be seen hanging from its mother’s tail. /AFP Photo

In the summer, Flach trekked to Russia's Caspian Sea, hiding in a "fly-infested hole" in search of the saiga antelope, an Ice Age survivor that once roamed alongside woolly mammoths but could soon be wiped out by poachers preying on its twisted horns.

Saiga antelope have survived since the ice ages but catastrophic disease and poaching have put the species in a critical place. /AFP Photo

Flach could only get a good sighting of the females, so he returned in the dead of winter with the longest lens he could borrow from Canon and got just one shot.

Sudan, pictured here, is the last male northern white rhinoceros in the world. /AFP Photo

Other encounters during a two-year odyssey included staring the last male white rhinoceros in the eye and swimming with great white sharks off the Galapagos Islands.

He hopes that others share his passion for wildlife.

A Shoebill looks straight into Tim Flach’s camera. /AFP Photo

"If we care about something, we are more likely to take action," said Flach.

Source(s): AFP