This was Difficult!

In September of 2021, I took a private tour of The Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, CO. The sanctuary is the largest one in the world with over 1,000 rescued animals on 33,000 acres.The elevated metal walk-way is the only way to photograph the animals with out disturbing them in their multi-acre enclosures. I saw this tiger, down by a pond, he had been taking a drink of water and he looked up at me. I used my Nikon D7100 camera with my Nikkor 200-500 mm telephoto lens and hoped I got the shot. I was hoping that the camera was steady because I was bent over, my elbows propped on a railing to avoid shaking and I was unsure if the lighting was correct. I quickly scanned the scenery around the tiger, the green grass highlighted his stunning fur, and I noticed his shadow in the pond. I knew I only had a very short window of opportunity, it was a one shot deal because he moved after I took my shot. This is one of my top favorite shots, especially since I took it so fast, and I didn't check any of my settings before I snapped my shot. When I downloaded the picture to my surprise, the tiger was focused and there were drops of water from his mouth.