A northern banded dragonfly unexpectedly lands on a Balkan pond turtle's nose and delicately stops there, almost posing like a ballerina performing an arabesque. The turtle seems to enjoy the moment and for an instant the two are locked in a perfectly blissful moment.
This image by Tzahi Finkelstein is among the photographs shortlisted for the People's Choice Award in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which receives over 50,000 entries annually.
Animal enthusiasts can marvel at scenes such as tender moments between hares in Scotland's Monadhliath Mountains, penguins interacting, a grizzly bear engaged in salmon fishing, and a polar bear enthroned on an iceberg bed.
Poetic snapshots include moon jellyfish illuminated by the aurora borealis in Norway's fjords, a humpback whale calf's missed sip of milk leaving a ghostly trace in sea currents, and starlings forming murmurations that shape a giant bird in the sky.
Some images depict animals mirroring human behaviors, such as a shrew and a fox locking eyes or a mudskipper fiercely defending its territory from a trespassing crab.
In other instances, the human presence is subtle yet impactful, revealing danger. Claire Waring's photograph captures a Celebes crested macaque attempting to drink from a discarded plastic bottle on a beach in Indonesia. Unfortunately, the macaques have learnt that these bottles contain liquid, quite often a sweet beverage, so they look for them.
There are other images highlighting the repercussions of human waste, such as Brent Stirton's photograph of a bull elephant with gunshot wounds, scavenging for food in a Sri Lankan dump.
Amidst these poignant visuals, a fashion image by Britta Jaschinski stands out. Titled "Fashion Victims," it doesn't feature playful or cute animals but a rack of lifeless coats made from the skins of endangered big cats like snow leopards, jaguars, and ocelots.
While the title suggests impenitent human beings indulging on the latest fashion trends, Jaschinski's intent is different as the victims here are the animals killed to provide luxurious coats for humans. The confiscated coats, held in Hamburg's Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, undergo forensic tests before being used in educational events to prevent their return to the black market.
During the photoshoot, Jaschinski discovered that, on average, the fur industry sacrifices 12 animals to make one coat. Collaborating with a biologist, the photographer attempted to quantify the impact of the fur trade by trying to count how many animals were killed to make these designs, but stopped due to its shocking nature.
While many companies and luxury houses have eliminated (or pledged to eliminate) furs from their collections, there is still a lot to do and this symbolic image not only holds significance for this award, but could also serve as a powerful tool for fashion awareness campaigns.
The shortlisted images are currently on display at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London until June 30, 2024. We can all participate in the People's Choice Award voting until January 31, 2024, with the winner set to be announced on February 7, 2024.
Image credits for this post
The Happy Turtle
Photograph: Tzahi Finkelstein/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Ice Bed
Photograph: Nima Sarikhani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Aurora Jellie
Photograph: Audun Rikardsen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Neighbourhood Dispute
Photograph: Ofer Levy/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Starling Murmuration
Photograph: Daniel Dencescu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Rubbish Drinks
Photograph: Claire Waring/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Bull in a Garbage Dump
Photograph: Brent Stirton/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fashion Victims
Photograph: Britta Jaschinski/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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