Lahja, a regal 6-month-old tiger from the Czech Republic, paws playfully at the snow. Then, with her barrel chest, she canters squarely at the camera, giving the impression that she will pounce straight through the lens. Her golden-brown eyes stare unflinching and with a carnivorous frankness—but Lahja is merely enjoying her playtime.
These rare moments with Lahja were all captured on film by award-winning photographer and Berlin resident Ina Schieferdecker, 49.