In this photo essay, we give you a sneak preview of some of the stunning images that will fill our special exhibition hall for Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Arctic Showtime
Audun Rikardsen
In this photograph Audun says he wanted to give people a playful glimpse into the lives of sea dwelling creatures and contrast it with the serene landscape found above the waterline. Attuned to life at sea, this professor of fish biology takes most of his images on field expeditions or locally for scientific research and conservation purposes.
Termite tossing
Willem Kruger
This hornbill was so engrossed with snacking on termites in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa that Willem managed to get within six metres of it before it moved off. Due to their short tongues, hornbills typically flick their prey up in the air, catch it and swallow it in one fluid movement.
Beware a mother bear
Mikhail Shatenev
As a female Eurasian brown bear wandered by with its cubs a raven edged too close, so it lashed out in order to protect its offspring. Bears emerge from hibernation ravenously hungry and males are sometimes known to attack cubs, so females have good reason to be easily spooked.
Nosy neighbour
Sam Hobson
Sam knew exactly who to expect when he captured this picture one summer’s evening in Bristol, the UK’s famous fox city. After weeks of scouting the city’s streets for a quiet, well-lit neighbourhood that foxes frequented, he set up his camera and lay in wait. For several hours each night, he’d sit and watch the members of one fox family, until he became familiar with their habits, quirks and favourite spots and they grew impervious to his presence. It was only then, that he managed to capture this cub inspecting a wall that he liked to sit on in the early evening.
Golden relic
Dhyey Shah
During the day, golden langur monkeys patrol the temple perched on Assam’s Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. Within moments of stepping off the boat, Dhyey captured an image of this monkey sitting high up in the tree before it sprung out of shot.
Grub time
Kim Hui Yu
After watching an oriole nest for ten days, two fledglings emerged so Kim set up a tent to create the perfect composition. Cared for by both parents, these black-naped oriole chicks will be fed by their parents until they are just over a month old.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition runs from July 7th until December 3rd 2017