Steve Winter interview: For decades, the National Geographic photojournalist has roamed the globe documenting big cats, despite not starting professional wildlife work until age 34. He said he learned from scientists and local communities, which reshaped his life and career.
Together with his wife, author and environmental journalist Sharon Guynup, Winter has influenced U.S. policy on big cats, helped expose abuses at Thailand’s Tiger Temple, and captured the famed image of cougar P-22 beneath the Hollywood sign. That photograph helped galvanize support for what is billed as the world’s largest highway wildlife crossing over Highway 101 in California.
In their forthcoming book, Big Cats (National Geographic Books, 2026), Winter and Guynup reflect on the vulnerability of these predators, the conservation efforts underway, and the threats that persist. Winter discussed his career, changes he has witnessed, and why he remains optimistic.
Steve Winter interview: the Hollywood cougar
Asked which photograph resonates most, Winter pointed to the P-22 image. He said the picture exceeded his expectations and sparked real-world change, including his recent work placing remote cameras on the new wildlife overpass inspired by that photo.
Winter described a shift in Los Angeles, where residents embraced the idea of a mountain lion living in a city park. That enthusiasm helped drive the push to connect fragmented habitats. He noted there is a P-22 day, schools now include urban wildlife in lessons, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County features the Hollywood cougar image in a permanent exhibit.
How the P-22 photograph happened
Winter said he met with scientists studying cats in the country’s largest urban park and asked National Park Service biologist Jeff Sikich whether there were trails offering a view of Los Angeles lights where cats walked. Initially the answer was no. Visualizing the shot he wanted, Winter suggested a mountain lion beneath the Hollywood sign to tell the urban wildlife story. Months later, researchers censusing bobcats in Griffith Park captured P-22 on a trail camera, opening the door for the image Winter envisioned.
Close calls and early lessons
Winter explained that camera traps meant he did not have to sit for hours. While working on an earlier story about resplendent quetzals in a Guatemalan cloud forest, he sensed an unseen presence around his cabin.
One night he heard creaking steps, scratching and sniffing at the door. A local naturalist told him not to worry, saying it was a black jaguar.
Tiger Temple and the illegal trade
Winter recalled reporting on tigers in Thailand alongside a team focused on saving the Indochinese tiger Panthera tigris corbetti. Nearby, the Thai Tiger Temple drew tourists under the banner of conservation.
Despite warnings from scientists who suspected links to the black market trade in tigers and parts to Laos and China, Winter and Guynup pursued the story.
He said the operation claimed roughly 150 tigers while offering daily cub petting and bottle-feeding, practices that suggested speed-breeding and raised questions about what happened to surplus animals. Their investigation, including video later broadcast by Bangkok television stations, helped prompt government action.
Authorities raided the site and reported finding carcasses and cubs preserved in jars. The temple was closed to the public.
Captive tigers in the U.S.
Winter said documenting big cat attractions in the United States was psychologically difficult. He and Guynup found cub-petting operations at both upscale facilities, such as Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach venue, and lower-cost roadside zoos.
Following their magazine feature, the National Geographic Society distributed the article to every member of Congress. Winter said they received word on Dec. 20, 2022, that President Joe Biden had signed the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which outlawed public contact with big cats and restricted private ownership.
Conservation trends and connectivity
Winter described how conservation evolved in the 1990s and 2000s, highlighting Alan Rabinowitz’s work compiling jaguar data that revealed a continent-spanning corridor. He emphasized the growing focus on connectivity and the need for overpasses and underpasses so animals can safely cross roads.
He credited biologist and conservationist George Schaller’s influence on the field and said connectivity remains a central focus of his work.
Hope for Los Angeles’ mountain lions
Winter said he is optimistic about the Santa Monica Mountains population. With the Highway 101 crossing, he said cats will be able to move north toward San Jose and skirt mountains near San Francisco, traversing open spaces between urban centers more safely.
Why big cats, and what comes next
Winter said big cats are charismatic, even mystical, and function as umbrella species. Protecting top predators safeguards the broader ecosystem.
Early in his career he learned why National Geographic had not yet covered jaguars: they are hard to see and adept at avoiding camera traps. He pursued every major species, noting the Amur tiger Panthera tigris altaica eluded him due to a canine distemper outbreak that killed many of the collared study animals.
He said local teams now lead that work and the population has rebounded with protection. Looking back, Winter said the lasting impact of these stories, from P-22 to the crackdowns on tiger trafficking and the Big Cat Public Safety Act, is what makes him most proud.
New stick insect species uncovered across eastern Australia has similarly highlighted how little is known about many animals sharing landscapes with people.
This interview has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.