<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/oct/19awardee-picture.jpg" alt="" /> The award-winning picture&nbsp;
As photographs go, this one stuns with its poignancy. A leopard, half crouched under a low yellow light bulb in a narrow alley between two tribal homes in Goregaon&rsquo;s Aarey Milk Colony, peers straight at you, symbolizing everything we know about the man-animal conflict in Mumbai.
Not surprisingly, the photograph, painstakingly captured by city photographer Nayan Khanolkar, has won him the prestigious Wildlife Photographer Award 2016, considered the &lsquo;Oscar&rsquo; for wildlife photography. Nayan, 42, won it this morning in London in the Urban Wildlife category at the competition organised by the BBC and the Natural History Museum, London. The ceremony was held in London this morning.
Mid-day got Nayan to recall how he landed this remarkable frame.
<img title="Nayan Khanolkar" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/oct/19nayannayan.jpg" alt="Nayan Khanolkar" /> Nayan Khanolkar In his words For me, the photograph taken at Aarey Milk Colony, in the heart of one of the world&rsquo;s busiest metropolises, symbolises both co-existence and conflict.
<img title="Nayan Khanolkar at the spot where the photograph was taken" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/oct/19nayanatspot.jpg" alt="Nayan Khanolkar at the spot where the photograph was taken" /> Nayan Khanolkar at the spot where the photograph was taken
I started work on this project in October 2015. I knew exactly what I wanted in my picture &ndash; the leopard had to dominate the frame, but it also had to show how adaptable these beautiful animals are. I wanted the picture captured in a tribal hamlet. So, a leopard next to a home with beautifully lit surroundings was what I focused on. Convincing the tribals living in the pada was a huge task, but when I explained to them that I wanted to document the man-animal co-existence and how my work would help in efforts towards conservation of the forest and the leopards they worshipped, they agreed.
<img title="Nayan sets up his camera" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/oct/19photonayan.jpg" alt="Nayan sets up his camera" /> Nayan sets up his camera
With the help of a few volunteers, I picked one tribal hamlet. Here, we placed a DSLR camera that would go off once the animal breached the invisible beam. Setting up the cameras was a task, because there have been instances where we have lost a couple of very expensive infrared cameras to thieves. As it was a self-funded project, I could not afford to lose any camera. Wait of four months For almost four months after, there was no success. I was unable to get the image I wanted. And so, I learnt incredible patience. Then, on January 15, one of my infrared cameras got stolen, which had me tossing and turning that night. The very next day, luck shone. I had a spectacular image of the leopard walking in the narrow space between two tribal houses, its face illuminated by the light of a tiny bulb.
<img title="Another of Nayan&rsquo;s frames from Aarey" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/oct/19photoleopard.jpg" alt="Another of Nayan&rsquo;s frames from Aarey" /> Another of Nayan&rsquo;s frames from Aarey
It is hard to explain the thrill I experienced. At a time when rampant development is taking a toll on the environment, how important is it to maintain the green cover in our cities is what this pictures argues for. Protecting wildlife is our moral duty and we cannot let progress compromise it.
Instead of eliminating wildlife when they are perceived as a threat, we must to maintain and build their territory. We need to protect this beautiful forested patch in Aarey because it has wildlife that roams it freely. Thrilled to win Winning the Wildlife Photographer Award 2016 from the Natural History Museum and BBC, is a dream that every photographer harbours. That it has become reality for me is something I cannot digest. Choosing Aarey Since Aarey, adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is infamous for human-animal conflict incidents, I decided to work here. The 16 square-km colony has been under threat from encroachments as well as the government that wants to build a metro car depot in the green zone. It acts as a buffer zone for the national park, and protecting its existing forest cover is vital not only for leopards but for us Mumbaikars too. The area has 28 tribal hamlets spread across 16 square km, home to the Warli tribe, one of Mumbai&rsquo;s oldest inhabitants. There is a lot to learn from them. They don&rsquo;t wild animals as threat. They respect them. Sighting of leopards in urban pockets makes headlines. For them, it&rsquo;s co-existence.

Nayan Khanolkar, who received the prestigious Wildlife Photography Award on Wednesday, spent four months trying to get the perfect shot of a leopard outside the doorstep of a tribal home at Aarey Colony

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Nayan Khanolkar, who received the prestigious Wildlife Photography Award on Wednesday, reveals his four-month struggle in trying to get the 'perfect shot' of a leopard outside the doorstep of a tribal home at Aarey

Aarey leopard 'clicks'! Dombivli resident's stunner wins photo 'Oscar'

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Home / Mumbai / Mumbai News / Article / Aarey leopard 'clicks'! Dombivli resident's stunner wins photo 'Oscar'

Aarey leopard 'clicks'! Dombivli resident's stunner wins photo 'Oscar'

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