An Unlikely Refuge | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Chaitanya Rawat’s Image

Chaitanya Rawat (India) spots this leopard at nightfall, peering from the window of a dilapidated building.

Chaitanya had been alerted by a local villager to leopards passing through an abandoned resort on the outskirts of Jaipur, India.

He made repeated visits in the hope of seeing one for himself.

Leopards are the most adaptable of the world’s big cats.

They occupy the widest range of habitats and terrain. In India, this includes the fringes of urban areas.

Their greatest threats are habitat fragmentation, declining prey, conflict with farmers, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.