10 amazing images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition

17 May 2017
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The 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is coming to Sydney on May 31.

Since launching in 1995 and attracting 361 entries, today the Wildlife Photographer of the Year receives almost 50,000 entries from 96 countries.

Here's 10 of our favourite images on display this year.

The 52nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition opens on 31 May 2017. Tickets are $20 adults, $12 concessions/children and $50 for a family and includes entry to the museum’s 3D Shark film which runs in the museum’s theatre (subject to availability, check the museum’s website for schedule). For further information about the exhibition visit www.anmm.gov.au/wildlife

Amir Ben Dov, the Company of three. Amir spent many days observing the strange relationship between these three red-footed falcons. The grey male and two young females were often together, in close physical contact, preening and touching. Here, one female nudges the male with its claw then flies up to make space for the third bird. The reason for their behaviour is a mystery. Despite being social birds, roosting and migrating in large colonies, red-footed falcons tend to maintain a degree of personal space. The closest relationships are usually pairbonds, or parents with first-year chicks. These birds will have been resting here in Israel on their way from eastern Europe to their wintering grounds in Africa.
Amir Ben Dov, the Company of three. Amir spent many days observing the strange relationship between these three red-footed falcons. The grey male and two young females were often together, in close physical contact, preening and touching. Here, one female nudges the male with its claw then flies up to make space for the third bird. The reason for their behaviour is a mystery. Despite being social birds, roosting and migrating in large colonies, red-footed falcons tend to maintain a degree of personal space. The closest relationships are usually pairbonds, or parents with first-year chicks. These birds will have been resting here in Israel on their way from eastern Europe to their wintering grounds in Africa.
Ganesh H Shankar, India, Winner, Birds. These Indian rose-ringed parakeets were not happy. They had returned to their roosting and nesting hole high up in a tree in India’s Keoladeo National Park (also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) to find that a Bengal monitor lizard had taken up residence. The birds immediately set about trying to evict the squatter. They bit the monitor lizard’s tail, hanging on for a couple of seconds at a time, until it retreated into the hole. They would then harass it when it tried to come out to bask. This went on for two days. But the action only lasted a couple of seconds at a time and was fast-moving. The branch was also high up, and Ganesh had to shoot against the light. Eventually the parakeets gave up and left, presumably to try to find another place to rear their young. These Indian birds are highly adaptable, and escaped captive parakeets have founded populations in many countries.
Ganesh H Shankar, India, Winner, Birds. These Indian rose-ringed parakeets were not happy. They had returned to their roosting and nesting hole high up in a tree in India’s Keoladeo National Park (also known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) to find that a Bengal monitor lizard had taken up residence. The birds immediately set about trying to evict the squatter. They bit the monitor lizard’s tail, hanging on for a couple of seconds at a time, until it retreated into the hole. They would then harass it when it tried to come out to bask. This went on for two days. But the action only lasted a couple of seconds at a time and was fast-moving. The branch was also high up, and Ganesh had to shoot against the light. Eventually the parakeets gave up and left, presumably to try to find another place to rear their young. These Indian birds are highly adaptable, and escaped captive parakeets have founded populations in many countries.
Star player, Luis Javier Sandoval, MEXICO, Winner, Impressions. As soon as Luis slipped into the water, the curious young California sea lions came over for a better look. He had arrived the night before at the island of Espíritu Santo in the Gulf of California, sleeping aboard his boat so that he would be ready to dive at sunrise. He had in mind a picture that needed warm light, a slow shutter speed and friendly subjects. One of the pups dived down, swimming gracefully with its strong fore-flippers (sea lions are also remarkably agile on land, since they can control each of their hind‑flippers independently). It grabbed a starfish from the bottom and started throwing it to Luis. ‘I love the way sea lions interact with divers and how smart they are,’ says Luis. The youngsters often use games to hone their skills, especially fishing techniques.
Star player, Luis Javier Sandoval, MEXICO, Winner, Impressions. As soon as Luis slipped into the water, the curious young California sea lions came over for a better look. He had arrived the night before at the island of Espíritu Santo in the Gulf of California, sleeping aboard his boat so that he would be ready to dive at sunrise. He had in mind a picture that needed warm light, a slow shutter speed and friendly subjects. One of the pups dived down, swimming gracefully with its strong fore-flippers (sea lions are also remarkably agile on land, since they can control each of their hind‑flippers independently). It grabbed a starfish from the bottom and started throwing it to Luis. ‘I love the way sea lions interact with divers and how smart they are,’ says Luis. The youngsters often use games to hone their skills, especially fishing techniques.
The alley cat, Nayan Khanolkar, India, Winner, Urban. At night, in the Aarey Milk Colony in a suburb of Mumbai bordering Sanjay Gandhi National Park, leopards slip ghost-like through the maze of alleys, looking for food (especially stray dogs). The Warli people living in the area respect the big cats. Despite close encounters and occasional attacks (a particular spate coinciding with the relocation of leopards from other areas into the park), the cats are an accepted part of their lives and their culture, seen in the traditional paintings that decorate the walls of their homes. Nayan was determined to use his pictures to show how things can be different with tolerance and planning.
The alley cat, Nayan Khanolkar, India, Winner, Urban. At night, in the Aarey Milk Colony in a suburb of Mumbai bordering Sanjay Gandhi National Park, leopards slip ghost-like through the maze of alleys, looking for food (especially stray dogs). The Warli people living in the area respect the big cats. Despite close encounters and occasional attacks (a particular spate coinciding with the relocation of leopards from other areas into the park), the cats are an accepted part of their lives and their culture, seen in the traditional paintings that decorate the walls of their homes. Nayan was determined to use his pictures to show how things can be different with tolerance and planning.
Entwined lives, Tim Laman, USA, Winner/ A young male orangutan makes the 30-metre (100-foot) climb up the thickest root of the strangler fig that has entwined itself around a tree emerging high above the canopy. The backdrop is the rich rainforest of the Gunung Palung National Park, in West Kalimantan, one of the few protected orangutan strongholds in Indonesian Borneo. The orangutan has returned to feast on the crop of figs. He has a mental map of the likely fruiting trees in his huge range, and he has already feasted here. Tim knew he would return and, more important, that there was no way to reach the top – no route through the canopy – other than up the tree. But he had to do three days of climbing up and down himself, by rope, to place in position several GoPro cameras that he could trigger remotely to give him a chance of not only a wide‑angle view of the forest below but also a view of the orangutan’s face from above. GoPro HERO4 Black; 1/30 sec at f2.8; ISO 231.
Entwined lives, Tim Laman, USA, Winner/ A young male orangutan makes the 30-metre (100-foot) climb up the thickest root of the strangler fig that has entwined itself around a tree emerging high above the canopy. The backdrop is the rich rainforest of the Gunung Palung National Park, in West Kalimantan, one of the few protected orangutan strongholds in Indonesian Borneo. The orangutan has returned to feast on the crop of figs. He has a mental map of the likely fruiting trees in his huge range, and he has already feasted here. Tim knew he would return and, more important, that there was no way to reach the top – no route through the canopy – other than up the tree. But he had to do three days of climbing up and down himself, by rope, to place in position several GoPro cameras that he could trigger remotely to give him a chance of not only a wide‑angle view of the forest below but also a view of the orangutan’s face from above. GoPro HERO4 Black; 1/30 sec at f2.8; ISO 231.
Snapper party, Tony Wu, USA, Winner, Underwater. For several days each month (in tandem with the full moon), thousands of two‑spot red snappers gather to spawn around Palau in the western Pacific Ocean. The action is intense as the fish fill the water with sperm and eggs, and predators arrive to take advantage of the bounty. Having read about the drama, Tony couldn’t understand why there were so few photos of it – until he hit the water there for the first time, in 2012. The currents were unrelenting – ideal for eggs to be swept swiftly away but a struggle for him to keep up with the fast‑moving fish. Also, the light was low, and the water was clouded with sperm and eggs. That first attempt failed, but he has returned every year to try to capture the event. Noticing that the spawning ran ‘like a chain reaction up and down the mass of fish’, his success finally came when he positioned himself so that the action came to him.
Snapper party, Tony Wu, USA, Winner, Underwater. For several days each month (in tandem with the full moon), thousands of two‑spot red snappers gather to spawn around Palau in the western Pacific Ocean. The action is intense as the fish fill the water with sperm and eggs, and predators arrive to take advantage of the bounty. Having read about the drama, Tony couldn’t understand why there were so few photos of it – until he hit the water there for the first time, in 2012. The currents were unrelenting – ideal for eggs to be swept swiftly away but a struggle for him to keep up with the fast‑moving fish. Also, the light was low, and the water was clouded with sperm and eggs. That first attempt failed, but he has returned every year to try to capture the event. Noticing that the spawning ran ‘like a chain reaction up and down the mass of fish’, his success finally came when he positioned himself so that the action came to him.
Scott Portelli, AUSTRALIA, Finalist, Invertebrates. Scott spent hours in the cold shallow waters capturing one of nature’s greatest events, the spawning of giant cuttlefish. In this aggregation, a line of suitors are poised in the background, waiting for a chance to mate with the female. Scott finally framed the ideal composition when the onlookers momentarily faced the same way. Male giant cuttlefish, like these, can grow up to one metre long. They flicker colourful patterns to mesmerise and attract females. Small males are sneaky. They mimic female posture and colouring, going unnoticed in the group, then mate with the females when the larger males look away.
Scott Portelli, AUSTRALIA, Finalist, Invertebrates. Scott spent hours in the cold shallow waters capturing one of nature’s greatest events, the spawning of giant cuttlefish. In this aggregation, a line of suitors are poised in the background, waiting for a chance to mate with the female. Scott finally framed the ideal composition when the onlookers momentarily faced the same way. Male giant cuttlefish, like these, can grow up to one metre long. They flicker colourful patterns to mesmerise and attract females. Small males are sneaky. They mimic female posture and colouring, going unnoticed in the group, then mate with the females when the larger males look away.
Nosy Neighbour, Sam Hobson, UK, Finalist, Urban. Sam wanted to capture the inquisitive nature of the urban red fox in a way that would pique curiosity. After weeks of scouting the ideal location, and gaining the trust of one fox family, Sam waited until this youngster peeked over a wall – its weeping left eye the result of getting too close to a neighbourhood cat. Foxes’ ability to survive in close proximity to people and elude hunters has earned them a reputation for cunning and intelligence. Highly adaptable and opportunistic, they have one of the widest ranges of any mammal and are able to thrive in urban areas. This family is used to people, as several residents feed them regularly.
Nosy Neighbour, Sam Hobson, UK, Finalist, Urban. Sam wanted to capture the inquisitive nature of the urban red fox in a way that would pique curiosity. After weeks of scouting the ideal location, and gaining the trust of one fox family, Sam waited until this youngster peeked over a wall – its weeping left eye the result of getting too close to a neighbourhood cat. Foxes’ ability to survive in close proximity to people and elude hunters has earned them a reputation for cunning and intelligence. Highly adaptable and opportunistic, they have one of the widest ranges of any mammal and are able to thrive in urban areas. This family is used to people, as several residents feed them regularly.
The pangolin pit, Paul Hilton, UK/AUSTRALIA, Winner, The Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Single image. Nothing prepared Paul for what he saw: some 4,000 defrosting pangolins (5 tons) from one of the largest seizures of the animals on record. They were destined for China and Vietnam for the exotic‑meat trade or for traditional medicine (their scales are thought, wrongly, to treat a variety of ailments). Pangolins have become the world’s most trafficked animals, with all eight species targeted. This illegal trade, along with habitat loss and local hunting, means that the four Asian species are now endangered or critically endangered, and Africa’s four species are heading that way. These Asian victims, mostly Sunda pangolins, were part of a huge seizure – a joint operation between Indonesia’s police and the World Conservation Society – found hidden in a shipping container behind a façade of frozen fish, ready for export from the major port of Belawan in Sumatra.
The pangolin pit, Paul Hilton, UK/AUSTRALIA, Winner, The Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Single image. Nothing prepared Paul for what he saw: some 4,000 defrosting pangolins (5 tons) from one of the largest seizures of the animals on record. They were destined for China and Vietnam for the exotic‑meat trade or for traditional medicine (their scales are thought, wrongly, to treat a variety of ailments). Pangolins have become the world’s most trafficked animals, with all eight species targeted. This illegal trade, along with habitat loss and local hunting, means that the four Asian species are now endangered or critically endangered, and Africa’s four species are heading that way. These Asian victims, mostly Sunda pangolins, were part of a huge seizure – a joint operation between Indonesia’s police and the World Conservation Society – found hidden in a shipping container behind a façade of frozen fish, ready for export from the major port of Belawan in Sumatra.

 

 

 

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