Photo by Yolande Nichols
Asante
This photo is of Asante, the 22 year old lioness at the Topeka Zoo, on 5/16/2026. Asante was sleeping so peacefully in the shade of the walk through enclosure, which made it impressive to see the size of her paws up close and personal. A month later, we learned that Asante was having health issues, but had seen some improvement and was feeling better. Today, the Topeka Zoo staff announced that Asante passed away. Asante is “thank you” in Swahili. It is in her honor that I am submitting this photo as a thank you from her community. Taken by: Yolande Nichols
Post processing notes:
ON1 Photo Raw was used to edit the raw photo. In an effort to show the softness of her fur and the depth and contrast of the different tones, I kept the edits to focusing on highlighting the flora where the sun was shining, depending the contrast of her paws and face, and adding a subtle vignette to draw attention to her features.Exif information:
| Copyright: | 2026 |
| Camera: | NIKON Z5_2 |
| Aperture: | f/10 |
| Focal Length: | 102mm |
| ISO: | 2500 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/1000 sec. |
| Created: | May 16, 2026 10:48:19 |