Big Cats, Big Impact: Steve Winter & Sharon Guynup on Photography, Conservation, and Coexistence

What happens when powerful photography and investigative journalism inspire real conservation action?

In this episode of Wildlife Wire, Mark Surls and Samantha Miller sit down with award-winning National Geographic photographer Steve Winter and environmental journalist and National Geographic Explorer Sharon Guynup to discuss their new book, Big Cats. Featuring 170 photographs and stories spanning decades of work across four continents, the book explores the lives of the world's great cats, the threats they face, and the people working to protect them.

Steve and Sharon share how their work has helped change public attitudes, expose wildlife trafficking, and influence conservation policy. From the jaguars of Brazil's Pantanal to the mountain lions of Los Angeles, they demonstrate how compelling storytelling can lead to meaningful change.

The conversation explores the remarkable story behind Steve's iconic photograph of P-22 beneath the Hollywood sign and how one mountain lion helped inspire a major wildlife crossing over California's 101 Freeway. Sharon also takes us behind the scenes of her investigations into Thailand's notorious Tiger Temple and the captive tiger industry in the United States, including the reporting that helped build momentum for the Big Cat Public Safety Act.

They also discuss practical approaches to coexistence, including predator-proof livestock enclosures, ecotourism, and efforts to help communities benefit from protecting large carnivores rather than killing them.

Throughout the conversation, Steve and Sharon offer a hopeful message: conservation challenges are complex, but solutions exist, and everyone has a role to play.

In this episode:

How photography and journalism can drive conservation policy

The story behind P-22's famous Hollywood sign photograph

How jaguar ecotourism transformed attitudes toward predators in Brazil

Investigating tiger trafficking and the exploitation of captive big cats

The Big Cat Public Safety Act and the connection between animal welfare and public safety