Vural, a 21-year-old veterinary student from Ankara, has practiced wildlife photography since he was 14. He says when he was young his father told him, “Don’t kill, immortalize,” and he brings that sentiment into his work.

Vural has spent his nascent career traveling through the Black Sea, eastern, and southeastern regions of Turkey tracking endangered animals. He knew from his research that the hyena lived on the banks of the Euphrates river and set his sights on capturing it with his lens. 

“I knew that striped hyenas lived on the banks of the Euphrates River in the Southeast Anatolia Region. I went after that animal,” Vural said. 

In order to capture the animals in photos, Vural constructed a trap with raw meat that triggered his shutter. After fifteen days of waiting, his team captured the photo they were waiting for: a striped hyena with its cub in its mouth. Not only did it show that the hyenas existed in Turkey, but they were able to reproduce. 

“I cannot describe my excitement when I saw that image. It was a great pleasure to see an endangered creature continue its life and generation with its offspring,” Vural said.