Aww! They’re just big pussycats really.
A touching image of male lions snuggling each other has won top prize in an international photography competition.
The striking picture, taken by New Zealander David Lloyd, scooped the lensman the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
Titled “Bond of Brothers,” it won the contest organized by London’s Natural History Museum after 16,000 nature fans voted on a short list of 25 wildlife shots selected from 45,000 submissions.
In his caption, Lloyd wrote that the two Tanzanian lions: “probably brothers, greeted and rubbed faces for 30 seconds before settling down.”
“I’m so pleased that this image did well because it illustrates the emotion and feeling of animals, and emphasizes that it is not limited to humans,” said the photographer. “It is something I think more people need to be aware of for the sake of all animals.”
There were four runners-up in the contest — categorized as highly commended — which also showed the ups and downs of creature life.
The UK’s Matthew Maran captured the moment an urban fox trotted past some street art mirroring its pose. Maran struck lucky after spending more than a year photographing foxes close to his home in north London.
South African Wim Van Den Heever won the same plaudit for his photo “Three Kings,” showing a trio of king penguins at sunrise on a beach in the Falkland Islands. Van Den Heever said two males had been fighting over a female, using their flippers to attack and defend themselves.
Meanwhile Bence Mate, of Hungary, picked up on the playfulness of three African wild dog pups who treated the leg of an impala as a mutual chew toy.
But the most heart-breaking image, the poignantly-titled “A Polar Bear’s Struggle’ was taken by Justin Hofman. The American photographer caught the despair of the starving bear at an abandoned hunters’ camp in the Canadian Arctic as it slowly heaved itself to a standing position.
“With little and thinning ice to move around on, the bear is unable to search for food,” reads the caption.
All the winning photographs are on display at an exhibition running until June 30 at Britain’s Natural History Museum.
All the winning photographs are currently on display at an exhibition running until June 30 at Britain’s Natural History Museum.
