The big cats. For millennia, mankind has revered them, the source of our greatest wonders, and our greatest fears. But in the modern day, what has become of the relationship between us? Photojournalist Aaron Gekoski has spent his life documenting the interplay of people and planet, now he’s turning his camera on these icons of the ancients. On a journey lasting several years, Aaron’s investigation into humanity and big cats takes him to every corner of the globe.

Opening in the deep jungles of the Peruvian Amazon, Aaron arrives into the land of the jaguar, quickly learning not just about their sacred status to the resident indigenous population but also their value as items to be traded on the international market. After witnessing a ritual conducted by a jaguar shaman, it becomes clear that if we are to restore the balance between big cats and people, we must act now.

Fuelled by social media the craze of keeping big cats as pets has swept through Pakistan in recent years. Under the city street lights at night, Aaron joins two big cat pet owners as they parade their prized possession around in the back of an SUV.

Travelling to the foothills of the Himalayas, Aaron discovers the terrible fear and loss that can occur when the realms of man and leopard overlap. The tragic reality of our broken relationship, creating suffering on both sides

In Thailand, wildlife tourism has reduced the mighty tiger to a mere photo prop. A multi-billion-dollar industry with darkness hiding behind the glitz and glamour of some of the country’s most popular attractions.

Venturing upriver and into the dark heart of the illegal wildlife trade in Laos’ Golden Triangle, Aaron must employ covert tactics to uncover the demand for big cat body parts and their alignment with firearms, drugs and human trafficking.

Chasing the story across continents and arriving into South Africa, Aaron sees the important work of organisations rescuing and rehabilitating big cats from the clutches of criminals and gangs. But his investigation isn’t over until he can get inside an industrial big cat factory farm, supplying the globe’s demand for these formerly sacred creatures.

Beautifully crafted and thoughtfully produced Dethroned ultimately asks: what becomes of us and the big cats if we destroy the sacred bond we share?

When a king falls, his kingdom trembles.

A Terra Mater Studios and Four Corners Film & Photography production, in association with Four Paws International