It was sunset when the snow leopard finally brushed by Sascha Fonseca’s camera trap high up in the Indian Himalayas. Fonseca had gone to great lengths to portray the elusive big cat, known as “the ghost of the mountain.”
Fascinated by snow leopards for their incredible camouflage and the remote regions they inhabit, Fonseca had embarked on a three-year photography project in Leh, Ladakh in northern India. His carefully positioned camera traps yielded his “dream” image and garnered him the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
People’s Choice Award Winner
"World of the Snow Leopard" by Sascha Fonseca, who said, "The mystery surrounding the snow leopard always fascinated me." (Courtesy of Sascha Fonseca / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Over 60,000 visitors at the museum’s Wildlife Photographer of The Year flagship exhibition in London, UK, voted from a shortlist of 25 images selected by the museum from nearly 39,000 entries. Alongside the top prize, four Highly Commended People’s Choice Award winners were also chosen.
Those include a polar bear cub basking in a field of flowers along the coast of Hudson’s Bay, Canada, in Martin Gregus’s “Among the Flowers;” as well as a leopard photographed carrying a killed mother monkey with her still-live baby clinging to her lifeless form in “Holding On” by Igor Altuna.
Also among the Highly Commended People’s Choice winners, Marina Cano’s “Portrait of Olobor” features a male lion from the Black Rock pride in Kenya resting amid a blackened landscape that had been burned by local Maasai herdsmen to stimulate new grass growth; meanwhile, “Fox affection” by Brittany Crossman displays a pair of red foxes greeting each other with an intimate nuzzle on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
People’s Choice Highly Commended
“Among the Flowers" by Martin Gregus. (Courtesy of Martin Gregus / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
“Holding On” by Igor Altuna. (Courtesy of Igor Altuna / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
“Portrait of Olobor” by Marina Cano. (Courtesy of Marina Cano / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
“Fox affection” by Brittany Crossman. (Courtesy of Brittany Crossman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
The People’s Choice Award winner said he found his endeavor to photograph the snow leopard challenging due to their uncanny camouflage and stealth, as well as scarce numbers in remote, rugged habitats. They face threats due to poaching and habitat loss, while there are only an estimated 6,500 living in the wild, according to the museum.
“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,” he stated in a press release. “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.”
People’s Choice Award Shortlist
"A Tight Grip" by Nicholas More. (Courtesy of Nicholas More / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Dr. Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, stated, “This year’s record number of votes illustrates how wildlife photography can engage and inspire audiences with the wonder of nature. A result of dedication and perseverance, Sascha’s remarkable image captures the breathtaking beauty of our planet and reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect it.”
Far from being overshadowed, the award’s impressive shortlist includes a pregnant pygmy seahorse with marked personality off the coast of Bali, Indonesia; as well as a wolf trotting along a moody shoreline in British Columbia, Canada. More photos feature a hyena on a highway at night, on the outskirts of Harar, Ethiopia; as well as the frenzied combat between a pompilid wasp and an ornate ctenus spider.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
People’s Choice Award Shortlist (Cont.)
"Coastline Wolf" by Bertie Gregory. (Courtesy of Bertie Gregory / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Fishing for Glass Eels" by Eladio Fernandez. (Courtesy of Eladio Fernandez / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Hyena Highway" by Sam Rowley. (Courtesy of Sam Rowley / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Covid Litter" by Auke-Florian Hiemstra. (Courtesy of Auke-Florian Hiemstra / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Caribbean Crèche" by Claudio Contreras Koob. (Courtesy of Claudio Contreras Koob / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Snowshoe Hare Stare" by Deena Sveinsson. (Courtesy of Deena Sveinsson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Life and Art" by Eduardo Blanco Mendizabal. (Courtesy of Eduardo Blanco Mendizabal / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
The Frog with the Ruby Eyes" by Jaime Culebras. (Courtesy of Jaime Culebras / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Heads or Tails?" by Jodi Frediani. (Courtesy of Jodi Frediani / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"A Golden Huddle" by Minqiang Lu. (Courtesy of Minqiang Lu / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"That’s the Spot!" by Richard Flack. (Courtesy of Richard Flack / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Night Encounter" by Sami Vartiainen. (Courtesy of Sami Vartiainen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Unlucky for the Cat" by Sebastian Kennerknecht. (Courtesy of Sebastian Kennerknecht / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"The Elusive Golden Cat" by Sebastian Kennerknecht. (Courtesy of Sebastian Kennerknecht / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"A Fox’s Tale" by Simon Withyman. (Courtesy of Simon Withyman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Red and Yellow" by Chloé Bès. (Courtesy of Chloé Bès / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Caught by the Cat" by Michał Michlewicz. (Courtesy of Michał Michlewicz / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Head to Head" by Miquel Angel Artús Illana. (Courtesy of Miquel Angel Artús Illana / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
"Wasp Attack" by Roberto García-Roa. (Courtesy of Roberto García-Roa / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
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