Born in Germany, Sascha Fonseca is a wildlife photographer who has specialized knowledge in DSLR camera traps. He shifted to Dubai with hopes of transforming his wildlife photography passion into a career. In the month of December 2021, this talented photographer set up a camera trap in the birch forests of Eastern Russia. He was able to capture a breathtaking photograph of a very rare Siberian tiger in its natural habitat.

Apparently the DSLR camera traps had enabled Sascha to capture an unparalleled view of the wildlife. He also expressed how difficult it is to set a camera trap. “Tigers are mostly nocturnal which means they are active mostly during the night. You could spend months or even years staked out and not capture a single image. Camera traps can,” he expressed.


His experience in setting camera traps assisted him in capturing footage of a male Siberian tiger who had been undocumented. Since it was Sascha who first discovered this tiger, the researchers let him name the creature. The unique L pattern on the male Siberian tiger’s cheekbone inspired the photographer to name the animal as Leo. Sascha also hoped to honor the famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy by naming the tiger, Leo.

According to Sascha, “It turned out that it’s an unknown male which had not been documented yet. So, the researchers I worked with during my camera trap project invited me to give him a name. It’s a special honor and it connects you with the animal on a personal level.” Siberian tigers are considered to be the largest tigers living in the world and they can be discovered in the far Eastern part of Russia, North Korea, and in Northeast China.


These creatures face major threats such as poaching which has led to them being added to the list of threatened species. Less than 400 Siberian tigers exist in the wild and they are critically endangered. Through capturing photographs of such rare species Sascha aims at raising awareness about protecting animals as well as their habitats. Isn’t that very noble of him?