Best Wildlife Photographer Of The Year: People’s Choice Award Winners
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Loading... - Catalina Morales
- 24 Mar 2023
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World of the snow leopard: Overall winner People’s Choice Award. PHOTO: FONSECA, GERMANY - WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Against a backdrop of the spectacular Ladakh mountains in northern India, a snow leopard is caught in a perfect pose by a carefully positioned camera trap. The image by German photographer Sascha Fonseca, has been voted as the winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. Thick snow blankets the ground, but the big cat’s dense coat and furry footpads keep it warm. Fonseca captured this image during a three-year, bait-free camera-trap project high up in the Indian Himalayas.
Known as the ‘ghost of the mountains,’ members of this elusive species are incredibly challenging to photograph in the wild due to their camouflage and stealth — as well as scarce numbers in remote, rugged habitats.
With an estimated 6,500 adults living in the wild, these big cats face constant threats of poaching, habitat loss and human-animal conflict. “I’m incredibly proud to be the winner of this year’s People’s Choice Award and I thank all the supporters around the world for making this happen,” Fonseca said. “Photography can connect people to wildlife and encourage them to appreciate the beauty of the unseen natural world. I believe that a greater understanding of wildlife leads to deeper caring, which hopefully results in active support and greater public interest for conservation.”
The winning photo, along with four other finalists, were selected from a shortlist of 25 images chosen by the Natural History Museum from nearly 50,000 images submitted for the 58th Wildlife Photographer Of The Year general competition. Read More…
