From the tropics of the south coast to the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas, these breathtaking images show the beauty of the wildlife of the Indian sub-continent.
Photographer Axel Gomille spent 25 years travelling across India snapping pictures of the spectacular animals and landscapes.
And the snaps now form part of a new book called Wild India, which takes readers on a journey across one of the world’s largest countries.
Water can be in short supply in many parts of Ranthambhore. The forest department therefore created concrete water holes so as to keep water supply plentiful for the animals. Tigers use them for drinking and for cooling off, as in this case of this mother and her large cub
Little is known about the ecology and behaviour of wild sloth bears. Here, a mother defends her yearling cubs against a rogue male. Although there are no confirmed records, infanticide in sloth bears seems likely
Sloth bears commonly have a litter size of two. During the first months, the cubs are completely reliant on their mother. Some will stay with her for up to two and a half years before searching out new ranges. Sloth bears were once found from the southern foothills of the Himalayas to Sri Lanka, however, their present distribution is patchy, roughly corresponding to areas with remaining forest cover
Asiatic wild dogs, also known as dholes, are extremely efficient predators. This photograph shows them having brought down a spotted deer in the Nagarhole National Park in Karnataka. Asiatic wild dogs can form large packs, and on some occasions they can even attack tigers. Today, their numbers are in serious decline, and the species has been listed as being endangered
Ruins dot the park at Ranthambhore, which was once one of the former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. As a national park, the sambar deer, spotted deer and wild boar no longer need to fear people, however, they must still watch out for predators
India’s enormous landmass means there is a wide range of habitats with the biodiversity of the country one of the richest on Earth.
And among the mammals that Mr Gomille has managed to capture on camera are sloth bears, nilgai and blackbuck.
He also snapped the last surviving populations of the Asiatic tiger, the khur and also the biggest population of Indian rhinoceros.
The book features a total of 150 pictures of some of the thousands of species living in India.
The Bishnoi are a religious community living in northwestern India. They do not treat wildlife as a resource, but as fellow creatures. The Indian gazelle or chinkara is an animal with whom the Bishnoi have very special relations. Bishnoi women will traditionally take in an orphaned or injured gazelle fawn, breast-feeding them alongside their own children, before releasing the animals back into the wild. The Bishnoi, whose religious beliefs have a direct impact on conservation, refuse to kill animals or cut trees
Monkeys such as these Bengal Hanuman langurs have colonised ruins such as the historic Ranthambhore fortress. The ruins offer safe lookouts and hiding places, allowing for social activities such as grooming
A bonnet macaque and her infant, left, keeping a look out for predators. Bonnet macaques and sloth bears share the same habitats and taste in fruits, while right, a young Bengal Hanuman langur is taught to drink water from a tap by his mother
Ruins dot the park at Ranthambhore, which was once one of the former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur. As a national park, the sambar deer, spotted deer and wild boar no longer need to fear people, however, they must still watch out for predators
Mr Gomille, who is orginally from Germany, says he has always had a passion for Indian wildlife and previously worked in tiger reserves in Kanha and Bandhavgarh.
But now he works as a journalist an filmmaker, specialising in wildlife and conservation, especially in India.
He says the inspiration behind the book was his favourite childhood film, The Jungle Book, as he wanted to track down the movie’s real-life characters.
A female leopard watches from the entrance of a cave that she has used as a safe retreat for her family, in a remote region of Rajasthan
One of the leopard’s older sons sees off the mock charges of an Indian eagle owl (above). Such behaviour by the eagle owl is very rare, and it is likely that the bird saw the big cat as a threat to its nest.
The male of the Indian peafowl can measure up to 230 centimetres in length, due to its lavish and extravagant plummage. The palm squirrel, though dwarfed by the impressive bird, is not at any risk
Crossovers between nature and culture are a typical sight in India. The Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan has some impressive ruins that are slowly being overrun by the surrounding vegetation. Here, a tigress has chosen the shady hall of an ancient ruin for her midday rest
Every winter, thousands of demoiselle cranes flock to the village of Khichan in Rajasthan. The local Jain community feed them vast amounts of grain, as the birds are venerated and the act of feeding them is supposed to bring good karma
And his journey through India for the project showed him how humans and animals can live together.
He writes: ‘This has been my personal discovery and subsequent presentation of some well-known characters from the Jungle Book, together with some of the lesser-known species that also deserve our attention.
‘Despite the growing human population and its associated problems, the natural heritage of India is still overwhelming.’
Once the former hunting grounds of the Maharajas of Jaipur, the Ranthambhore National Park is a haven for wildlife. Its grounds offer prime habitat for tigers and it is widely regarded as one of the best places in India to see them. The national park was named after the historic Ranthambhore fortress, whose ruins dot the park