Man on a Mission:
Building the Photo Ark

Book Joel To Speak Explore the Photo Ark

I’m Joel Sartore.

Ever wonder about those wildlife photographers who risk life and limb to get the perfect shot? That’s me. I’ve spent 25 years with National Geographic—and I’ve got the stories and scars to prove it. These days my focus is on the Photo Ark, the world’s largest collection of animal studio portraits. My goal is simple: to get the public to care and save species from extinction.

15,325 species photographed for the Photo Ark
A modern-day Noah

—NBC Nightly News
1 porcupine named Piper on the cover of
National Geographic
4 times chased by grizzlies
300 talks given worldwide
2 spitting cobras found in camera gear

Speaking Engagements

“Joel never fails to dazzle.”
Known for his sense of humor and incredible stories from the field, Joel is a popular speaker with conservation, corporate, and civic groups.

Hire him to entertain and inspire your audience.

Book Joel to Speak

Recent Talks

A picture of a pair of four-week-old old federally endangered Asian leopard cats, (Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis). These two were found abandoned by their mother in a burning field and brought to the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB), a wildlife rehab center in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

A picture of a federally endangered marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata marmorata) at Zoo Taiping.

South Georgia king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus patagonicus) at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Photo: Augustine, a mother koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) with her young ones Gus and Rupert (one is adopted and one is her own offspring) at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

A picture of an endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Nebraska.

Photo: A Equatorial spitting cobra (Naja sumatrana miolepis) at the Avilon Zoo.

Photo: An endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) named Jengo at the Singapore Zoo in Singapore.

A picture buffy laughingthrush (Pterorhinus berthemyi) from a private collection in Spain.

Photo: A juvenile little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis ruficollis) at Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue.

A picture of two critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered red-shanked douc langurs (Pygathrix nemaeus) from the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam.

Joel is the founder of the Photo Ark, a 25-year effort to photograph every species in human care around the globe.

Explore the Photo Ark

Photo: Balabac (Philippine) mousedeer (Tragulus nigricans) at the Avilon Zoo. This species is endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Photo: Hibernating Arctic ground squirrels (Spermopilus parryii) at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

A picture of a half-day-old federally endangered hatchling leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) from Bioko Island. This species is listed as vulnerable by IUCN.

Photo: An endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) at the Vredenburg Lab of San Francisco State University in San Francisco, California.

A St. Andrew beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus peninsularis), a federally endangered rodent, in Panama City, FL. This and several other beach mice subspecies are imperiled due to beach development. (US: Endangered)

A picture of a male endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered white Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) named Rajah at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.

A green tree python (Morelia viridis) at the Riverside Zoo.

Picture of American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber ruber) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

A picture of a critically endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered central Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii) at the Avilon Wildlife Conservation Foundation.

Photo: A vulnerable dwarf pea pufferfish (Carinotetraodon travancoricus) at a private collection in Gainesville, Florida.

An endangered (IUCN) and federally endangered African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) at the Omaha Zoo.

Picture of Federally threatened spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) at the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Picture of a Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener tener) at the Fort Worth Zoo.

D.J. is an 11-month-old Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and Dirgahayu “Ayu” is an 11-month-old Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus). Unfortunately, both species are critically endangered, in large part due to the palm oil crisis. Both of these juvenile primates are cared for by the Taman Safari in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.

A picture of an endangered pilalo tree frog (Hyloscirtus ptychodactylus) at Balsa de los Sapos in Quito, Ecuador.

Photo: Mediterranean jelly or fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) at Loro Parque's aquarium in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain

Photo: A grizzled tree-kangaroo (Dendrolagus inustus) at a private collection in Jakarta, Indonesia.

A pair of Australian rainbow lorikeets crossed with Forsten's lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus x Trichoglossus forstenii) at the Indianapolis Zoo.

Photo: An endangered Peruvian woolly monkey (Lagothrix cana) at Cetas-IBAMA, a wildlife rehab center in Manaus, Brazil.

Picture of a 10-week-old fennec fox kit (Vulpes zerda) at the Saint Louis Zoo.

A male federally endangered Roanoke logperch (Percina rex) and juveniles at Conservation Fisheries in Knoxville, Tennessee. This species is listed as vulnerable by IUCN.

Budgett's frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis) at the Baltimore Aquarium.

Joel Sartore News

Spring Sale 2024

Spring is finally upon us, and that means we’re bound to see some new feathered friends, furry neighbors and gardens abuzz with life. With the arrival of the new season comes a breath of fresh air, and our spring print sale! All traditional prints are 25% off, so be sure to use…

Get the Story