@natgeo @stevewinterphoto I was working on a story for @natgeo on the creation of the world’s largest tiger reserve in Hukaung Valley in Myanmar. I had just arrived into Tanai the border town on the edge of the valley, driving on the Burma road which had just opened - the first time since 1945. When I got into town I saw people everywhere with Toyota HiLux pickup trucks all jacked up, full of hoses and water pumps and people. I asked what was going on and was told that 10’s of thousands of people had come in to the valley as gold was discovered. As this story was supposed to be about the animals of the valley and how scientists measure the quantity and type of animals in the valley, Well I got really bummed out - walked out onto a bridge to look at the moon and saw all these small homemade rafts and boats with little oil lamps in them floating down the river - I asked what was going on and I was told that I came at a very important time that this was the Buddhist Festival of Lights. I spent over an hour on the bridge and calmed down and decided that if the story had changed then I would change my focus and that is what I would cover. I learned so much about the local people in the area - how gold mining works and that you cannot eat the same food of the tiger and expect the tiger to survive, as all these miners did not bring a supermarket with them, they were hunting in the forests. Traders came from China as the Burma road had opened and they were looking for endangered species to sell back in their country. This was my education on Asian jungles, people and trade, in the field on the ground. End result - after the story came out - the gold mines were shut down. this is a one minute exposure. follow me @stevewinterphoto to see other images, thanks! @natgeo @thephotosociety @natgeocreative #bigcatsforever #ivoryfree #wildaid #bigcatsforever #beauty #me #follow #love #leopards #photooftheday #5forbigcats @eiainvestigator #rhinoswithoutborders #cute #racingextinction #startwith1thing by natgeo

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