Most-visited Nat Geo exhibition goes virtual

ISTANBUL

National Geographic’s most popular and most visited exhibition “Photo Ark,” which opened for the first time in Turkey in February last year, now can be visited with a 360-degree virtual tour.

“Photo Ark” is a multi-year National Geographic project with a simple goal -- to create portraits of the world’s species before they disappear and to inspire people to care. Each image is a visual connection between the animals and people who can help protect them.

National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is creating portraits of an estimated 12,000 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. Sartore has photographed 8,485 creatures to date, with more to come. Many of the animals live in the world’s zoos and aquariums among the last places on Earth dedicated to ensuring their survival.

The exhibition features many iconic images and allows visitors to follow Sartore around the world on this exciting and important project.

“Photo Ark,” which attracted great attention in Istanbul last February with approximately 10,000 people visiting in a short period of one month, can now be reached on www.natgeotv.com.tr with its 360 virtual tour experience.

Sartore, a National Geographic Fellow who has been contributing to the National Geographic magazine for the last 24 years, has traveled to every continent and specializes in documenting endangered species and landscapes. He is on a mission to document endangered species through his project to show a world worth saving.

“Every year, I see more habitat loss, more species consumed for food, medicine or simply decoration,” Sartore said.

“The Photo Ark was born out of desperation to halt, or at least slow, the loss of global biodiversity,” he added.