A sumatran rhino. Picture credit: CC0 Creative Commons
The mutilated body of a black rhino, killed for its horn, lies in the foreground at the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa. The tragic story hiding behind photojournalist Brent Stirton’s shot is a representation of the controversial relationship between humans and animals.
The South African photographer won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award with the image, Memorial to a species. It was chosen as the winning shot from over 50,000 competition entries from 92 different countries.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Celebrating its fifty-third year, the annual prestigious photography competition exhibition is currently being held at the Natural History Museum with pictures of the most incredible species on the planet.
The contest aims to explore the world's best nature photography, emphasizing the several forms of life on Earth. The exhibition is made up of 100 images and represents both the beauty and tragedy of the natural world.
The competition is divided in two main groups: adult and young photographers. These are consequently divided in categories: sixteen for the adult section, representing a varied selection ranging from urban wildlife, to underwater, to portraits. The young photographers are divided by age in three categories. Images are selected by a panel of judges following canons of originality, creativity and technical distinction.
Wildlife Photographer of the year – the winners
Brent Stirton’s winning image Memorial to a species is part of an undercover investigation into the illegal trade of rhino horns. For this project, Stirton won the grand title for the third year in a row but also a Nature First Prize Story by World Press Photo.
The photograph tells the story of a black rhino, a victim of poachers from a local community who entered the reserve illegally. They trapped the rhino in front of a waterhole and shot him dead, leaving its mutilated body on the ground.
Allegedly, the killers lived approximately five kilometers away from the murder scene and were working to a pre-order. They shot the rhino dead with a silenced hunting rifle and sawed off his horn before leaving the decomposing body to rot with time.
Along with elephant ivory, tiger penises, and giraffe tails, the horn of a rhino is one of the world’s most valuable objects in the exotic marketplace. The rhino horn’s peculiarity is that it is not made of bone but instead it is made of keratin, so if you cut their horn properly, it will eventually grow back.
Throughout the past decade people have been using rhino horn as an aphrodisiac. According to National Geographic, on the South African black market, the horn of the white rhino sells for up to £ 2300 a pound. The demand in Asia for rhino horns is rising sharply as it is traditionally valued for its medicinal properties and today is seen as a cure for several diseases from cancer to kidney stones. On Asian black markets it will sell for approximately five to ten times that price.
The rhino horn trade is a war, involving money and corruption, and South Africa is home to nearly 70 percent of the 29,500 rhinos left on Earth. Stirton’s evocative image is the symbol of a devastating crisis that is growing due to the demand for rhino horns. Originally, Black rhinos were the most populated group of rhino species. The latest data, from 2015, estimates that only 5,000 remained in their natural habitat. Due to an increase in illegal poaching, that number falls with each passing day.
According to UK-charity Save the Rhino, there are five existing species of rhino, white and black (Africa), Indian, Javan, and Sumatran (southern Asia). These animals are critically endangered and unless action is taken they will eventually be extinct.
The Prize for Young Wildlife Photographer 2017 was won by Daniël Nelson, 16, who shot a captivating portrait of a young western gorilla from the Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo.
A nine-year old gorilla is enjoying The Good Life, playing with a breadfruit, highlighting the importance of the forest on which the animal depends and the natural similarity between apes and men.
The Animal Portraits category was won by Peter Delaney with his picture Contemplation. The photographer captured Totti, a male chimpanzee who was busy wooing a female in the canopy. Only when Totti gave up, Delaney was able to take the picture. With a single shot, the photographer has been able to represent the strong resemblance of humans and animals, both driven by emotions of love and despair.
The Night Raider by Brazilian photographer Marcio Cabral won the prize for the category Animals in Their Environment. Cabral had been camping out in the vast savannah of Brazil’s Cerrado region, patiently waiting to shoot the termite mounds’ lights. A giant anteater appeared in the dark and began to attack the mud mound. The photographer suddenly becomes a stranger inside the home of the animal.
The Wildlife Photojournalist (Single Image category) prize was won by Aaron “Bertie” Gekoski with his image, Palm-oil Survivors. On the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia, three generations of elephants are crossing the walkways of an oil-palm plantation which is being torn for replantation. This industry is a main driver of deforestation, consequently pushing elephants into smaller areas of forests and coming into conflict with humans.
The exhibition not only celebrates the diversity of the world's wildlife but there is also an important aspect dedicated to the alarming impact that humanity has had on animal life.
Anyone who respects animals will struggle to tolerate the image of the domesticated tiger who hauls desperately through tourists and the rhino whose horn has been brutally cut off.
Anyone who respects animals will struggle to tolerate the image of the domesticated tiger who hauls desperately through tourists and the rhino whose horn has been brutally cut off.
This spectacular show definitely stands out compared to most other photography exhibitions. The technique of the photographers who participated, combined with their unique ability to deliver a strong message of awareness, create an exceptional show which should not be missed.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is currently held at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, London. The entrance costs £12.50, £7 concs. The exhibition will be held until 28 May 2018.
Rosa Farsetti