A remarkable image of an elusive species known as the ‘mountain ghost’ has won the People’s Choice Award for Wildlife Photographer of the Year from a German photographer.
Out of 25 images selected as finalists, Sascha Fonseca’s image of a snow leopard posed against the Indian Himalayas was chosen by thousands of voters.
A total of 60,466 voters took part in this year’s competition, organized by the Natural History Museum in London. Photos of the contest highlighted scenes of snuggling monkeys, a statuesque lion and a stunned spider across 38,575 entries from 93 countries.
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With around 6,500 adult snow leopards in the wild, this stealthy, well-camouflaged species is difficult to photograph in their remote habitats, the museum explain. This year’s winning image was taken in Ladakhin, India.
Fonseca’s image of the leopard, a species threatened by poaching, habitat loss and human-animal conflict, was taken with an unbaited camera trap – Or animal movements trigger a hidden digital camera – which has been positioned for three years high in the Indian Himalayas.
“Photography can connect people to wildlife and encourage them to appreciate the beauty of the unseen natural world,” Fonseca said. “I believe that a better understanding of wildlife leads to deeper care which hopefully translates into active support and greater public interest in conservation.”
Fonseca’s image “reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect” these endangered animals as well as the planet, Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said in a statement announcing the winners.
Last year’s winning photographer captured a frantically buzzing ball of bees.
Four “Highly Commended” finalists captured images of a leopard carrying a dead monkey and its baby, sniffing red foxes, a polar bear cub playing in flowers and a striking male lion.
Camille Fine is a Trending Visual Producer on USA TODAY’s NOW Team.
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