Steve Winter from US won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 award with a picture of an elusive snow leopard on a night time prowl. The image was captured during a 13-month quest to snap the perfect photo of the endangered species in its hostile habitat high in the mountains of India’s Hemis National Park [more on BBC]

The winning photo by Steve Winter (via BBC)
The competition, now in its 44th year, is run by BBC Wildlife magazine and London’s Natural History Museum. An exhibition of the best images from the 2008 competition opens to visitors of the Natural History Museum, London, on October 31.