After spending roughly two years on assignment reporting from the frontline of extinction, world-renowned wildlife photojournalist Chris Weston finally opened up about what it was like to capture never-before-seen images of some of the world's most endangered mammals.

Weston: For me, the most iconic image I shot is of the newborn gorilla being cradled in its mother's huge and powerful arm. More than any other, this image tells the story of what [my mission in life] is all about...the protection of vulnerable wildlife.  That I was the first human to see this baby gorilla was a poignant moment and the way its mother revealed it to me was representative of a connection between man and animal.

The driving force behind the gorilla's path to extinction is man, he told journalist Sharon Raiford Bush.