Les photographes - Igor Shpilenok (20) Images supplémentaires...
Igor Shpilenok's WWoE mission in May 2009 was to photograph Europe's only antelope, the endangered Saiga, in their native and disappearing steppe in Kalmykia, a region in Southwestern Russia. Because of poaching and other pressures, there are fewer than 20,000 saiga remaining in Europe - down from more than 2 million animals in the middle of last century. Igor hopes that by showing these unique, hump-nosed antelope to Europeans and the world, he can evoke in people the desire to help the animals in their fight for survival. As well as photographing the saiga and their calves, Igor captured Demoiselle crane, Steppe eagle and wild flowers including tulips.


An environmental activist and former director of the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve in western Russia Igor Shpilenok has been phot
Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) portrait, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) portrait, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Three female Saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica) Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Three female Saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica) Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) with two calves suckling near Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) with two calves suckling near Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Newborn Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) lying in grass, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Newborn Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) lying in grass, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Female Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) feeding, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Female Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) feeding, Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) newborn being weighed and measured by staff of the Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) newborn being weighed and measured by staff of the Cherniye Zemli (Black Earth) Nature Reserve, Kalmykia, Russia, May 2009
Wild tulips (Tulipa schrenkii) in flower, one white, the rest red, Rostovsky Nature Reserve, Rostov Region, Russia, April 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Wild tulips (Tulipa schrenkii) in flower, one white, the rest red, Rostovsky Nature Reserve, Rostov Region, Russia, April 2009
Four rare yellow Bieberstein tulips (Tulipa biebersteiniana) in flower, Rostovsky Nature Reserve, Rostov Region, Russia, April 2009
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Wild Wonders of Europe / Shpilenok / Four rare yellow Bieberstein tulips (Tulipa biebersteiniana) in flower, Rostovsky Nature Reserve, Rostov Region, Russia, April 2009