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Jun 29, 2023

Wildlife Photographer of the Year contenders reveal the fight for survival

From predatory stargazer fish to fleeing foxes, this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year contenders show animals fighting for survival A Mediterranean stargazer peers through the sandy floor in

From predatory stargazer fish to fleeing foxes, this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year contenders show animals fighting for survival

A Mediterranean stargazer peers through the sandy floor in coastal waters in Rijeka, Croatia. The ambush predator buries itself in the sand by wriggling its body until it is invisible except for its eyes and teeth, then it lies in wait for small fish and invertebrates. Its coastal habitat is under pressure from erosion and pollution, and it is often caught as bycatch.

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Credit: Pietro Formis, Italy

An elephant is seen in extreme distress after being hit by a train in Lopé National Park, Gabon. The animal eventually had to be killed as its hip was shattered beyond repair.

Despite efforts to get the train company to slow trains through the park, there are up to 20 collisions with elephants a year. The trains transport manganese from the Moanda mine to be used in iron and steel production.

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Credit: Jasper Doest, the Netherlands

A coot in northeast China struggles to stay upright on ice while gripping onto a wriggling loach.

Common coots are among the most widespread birds, extending across Europe, Asia, North Africa and Australia. They require large areas of open water with cover for nesting, and populations can be affected when their habitat is disturbed by humans.

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Credit: Zhai Zeyu, China

A young Yakushima macaque gets a lift from a sika stag in Kagoshima, Japan.

Rodeo-riding of deer by the monkeys of Yakushima Island is rare, but not unheard of. Young male macaques have been seen clinging to female deer and trying to mate with them. In this case, however, the macaque was just a young female enjoying a free ride.

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Credit: Atsuyuki Ohshima, Japan

An artisan fisher drags a sailfish across the beach. The fish are prepared at sea then loaded onto trucks early in the morning.

Artisan fishing provides vital employment opportunities for people around Ecuador’s Eastern Pacific waters. This is small in scale compared to industrial-scale fishing undertaken by international fleets. However, artisan fishing does still have an impact as marine mammals can be entangled in nets.

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Credit: Jef Pattyn, Belgium/the Netherlands

A snow leopard hunts a Pallas’s cat in Gayi, China. The cat blended in well with the rocks but still ended up in the snow leopard’s jaws.

Both species are well camouflaged and are hard to see at any time, let alone together. While large birds of prey and wolves are known to hunt Pallas’s cats, it is a rare sight to see them hunted by snow leopards.

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Credit: Donglin Zhou, China

A two-coloured mason bee builds the roof of its nest near Witzenhausen, Hesse, Germany. The bee was memorising landmarks, including the Zankl’s equipment, so it could find the nest again.

These bees use snail shells for egg laying. They pack the shell with pollen and nectar for their larvae, then seal it with grass and sticky saliva.

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Credit: Solvin Zankl, Germany

A team from Poznań Zoo opens a crate to check on an evacuated tiger cub. Siarek has documented efforts to evacuate wild animals in private ownership from across war-torn Ukraine. “That night changed me,” he said. “Hearing the cry of a lion still in the truck made me decide to help with the next evacuation run”.

Many of the animals were rescued from fighting hotspots in eastern Ukraine in 2022. At the Polish border, the animals were re-crated and rushed to Poznań Zoo, then on to sanctuaries in Europe. More than 200 animals have since been saved.

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Credit: Michał Siarek, Poland

An elegant portrait of a leopard in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya.

Leopards are the smallest of the big cats and they are often seen near water inthe Maasai Mara. Population numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss, hunting and the decline of their prey.

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Credit: Shashwat Harish, Kenya

A pair of white storks search for prey in simmering heat. After a controlled fire was lit in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, hundreds of birds arrived - particularly storks and kites.

Starting fires is a common yet controversial way of managing grasslands to stimulate new growth and control the spread of bushland. This can be a dangerous tactic, especially in times of drought when fire spreads easily.

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Credit: Elza Friedländer, Germany

A possum snacks on a large cicada while carrying a baby in its pouch.

The nocturnal marsupial, native to Australia, is widespread and locally abundant. Its long, sharp claws are made for a life in the trees, but it has readily adapted to urban environments and come into conflict with humans.

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Credit: Caitlin Henderson, Australia

An injured fox rests in a rehabilitation centre in Kent.

Since 2005 in England and Wales it has been illegal to poison foxes, hunt them with dogs or destroy foxholes. This fox was likely attacked by dogs illegally sent into its den to flush it out.

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Credit: Neil Aldridge, South Africa