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An adorable dugong surrounded by curious snorkellers,
a crocodile battling with a green turtle and rain-soaked bedraggled
lions in the Serengeti – these are just some of the stunning images
released from this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year. As the
prestigious competition comes to a close – having attracted almost
43,000 entries from 96 countries – 100 of the best pictures are set to
go display at the Natural History Museum in London.
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This family portrait earned Diana Rebman a commendation in The Gerald
Durrell Award for Endangered Species category. This is only the fifth
set of twins to be reported in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.
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Douglas Seifert was recognised for his
photograph of tourists crowding around a dugong in the bay of Marsa Alam,
Egypt. The animals are facing increasing pressure as their habitat is
destroyed by urbanisation on the coast.
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These bedraggled lions are among the
images released as a preview of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
awards owned by the Natural History Museum, London and BBC Worldwide.
Michael Nichols was commended for his shot, taken in Tanzania’s
Serengeti National Park.
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Lukasz Bozycki sat in icy cold water to capture this portrait of a toad
in Warsaw, Poland. He waited for the amphibians to get used to his
presence before finally taking this shot at sunset.
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Valter Bernardeschi's action shot taken in the Russian Far East also
earned recognition. The brown bear has caught a female sockeye salmon,
the force of the catch spilling the fish's bright roe.
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Alejandro Prieto was commended for capturing this scene of cold-blooded
behaviour: a crocodile eating a green turtle in Corcovado National Park,
on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
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Solvin Zankl earned a commendation in the Underwater Worlds category for
his photograph titled Pearls of Spring. It shows toads swimming among
freshly laid eggs in a pond in Solling, western Germany.
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Marcos Sobral's skill was recognised in his photo showing rhesus
macaques living on the rooftops of Varanasi in northern India, one of
the oldest continuously inhabited cities.
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Agorastos Papatsanis captured a fairytale feel in this scene of parasol
mushrooms growing in Greece. The best images of the competition, which
attracted nearly 43,000 entries from 96 countries, will be exhibited at
the Natural History Museum, London in October when an overall winner
will be announced.
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Etienne Francey was recognised in the 15-17 years category for his
photograph of a harvest mouse nibbling wheat taken near his village in
Switzerland in late July. He described it as a "brief but extraordinary"
meeting. |
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More Interesting Pictures
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