The Photo Ark: We have to see them to save them

(Images: Joel Sartore)

JOEL SARTORE travels the world photographing endangered animals from zoos and rescue centres for his Photo Ark project. He has photographed more than 2600 species so far. "The goal of all this is to simply get the public to finally wake up and pay attention," says Sartore. "Half of all species could become extinct by the turn of the next century if we don't stop tearing up the planet. This will be a lose-lose situation for all of us."

Although the set-up for Sartore's photos is always the same – using white rolls of paper or black rolls of velvet for the backdrop – the outcome is always different. Sartore wants to publicise the plight of these species, some of which are no longer easily photographed in the wild, and some of which receive less publicity than their more charismatic relatives.

The Damaraland mole rats (Cryptomys damarensis) in the top photo are from the Houston Zoo in Texas. These toothy beauties are less well-known than their fur-free cousins, the naked mole rats, but don't deserve to be. Both species are burrowing rodents from sub-Saharan Africa and, on top of their odd looks, they share an unusual living arrangement. They are the only two mammals known to be eusocial, meaning that, like ants and bees, they live in colonies where only one individual – the queen – reproduces.

Above is a royal antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus), native to west Africa, but this one is from the Los Angeles Zoo. The smallest of the antelopes, they stand 25 to 30 centimetres high at the shoulder and only weigh about 3 kilograms.

The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) here, from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, looks like it has just belched.

The striking scarlet ibises (Eudocimus ruber) above are from the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas, and get their colour from the crustaceans they eat.

"We won't care, and certainly won't be moved to save anything, if we don't know these species exist, and that many are in trouble. That's where these photos come in," says Sartore.

This article appeared in print under the headline "All aboard the Photo Ark"

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