Segal's celebration of this regal feline also records the cheetah's alarming path toward extinction

For the past 15 years, American photographer Mark Segal's fascination with the world's fastest land mammal has taken him across the US, Europe, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa. What started out as an aesthetic obsession evolved as he deepened his understanding of this fierce yet fragile creature and its rapid path toward extinction. "My desire changed from simply wanting to experience cheetahs for my own selfish curiosity to wanting to contribute to their conservation." Over the last five years, Segal has traveled to various cheetah research and conservation centers, in an effort to show the beauty of this magnificent predator and to draw awareness to its endangered state in the wild. Known for his moody and emotional portrait and fashion work, Segal takes a personal approach to photographing nature--employing a vision that differs distinctly from most wildlife photographers.

The images collected in this monograph, designed by Fabien Baron, stand at a waypoint in Segal's elusive and ongoing odyssey toward a deeper understanding of this regal feline and the mysterious hold it has on him. His wish is that viewers will be captivated as he is by the beauty of the cheetah and will recognize the imperative to protect the animal and ensure its survival on our planet.

Mark Segal will donate all his profits from the sale of this book to cheetah conservation, notably the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia.