Elephant Carries Dead Calf to Win Wildlife Photographer of Year

The heartbreak inside a mother's grief has taken center stage and secured this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year title. A striking black and white image shows a female elephant carrying her dead calf, wedged tight between her tusk and trunk. Federico Veronesi, an Italian photographer, found this scene while tracking a family group in Namibia's Huab River Valley.

The choice was made from a staggering pool of 65,403 entries submitted by photographers across 121 countries and territories. Experts say such behavior appears in both African and Asian elephants. It might show an attempt to understand death or perhaps even displays of deep grief. Kathy Moran, chair of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury, called the shot a gut punch emotionally. She added that it proves animals have cognition on an intellectual level too.

Jasper Doest, another jury member for the 62nd competition, noted the image was exceptionally well done. The photo does not stand alone in its excellence this year. Oscar Whitfield, a fourteen-year-old British photographer living in Zimbabwe, also took top honors in the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year category. His black and white shot captures a dung beetle pushing a ball of dung.

Other winners highlighted the breadth of nature's stories. James Lewin from Kenya won the Animals in their Environment category with a picture of a young bull elephant spraying zebras at a waterhole. Francisco Negroni, based in Chile, captured a dead puma against the rugged beauty of Argentine Patagonia for his win in Photojournalism. Seth Forestson from the United Kingdom took home the Urban Wildfire prize for an image of a common water monitor carrying its fish supper in Bangkok.

The Rising Star Award went to Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany for a close-up of a flesh fly with needlelike mouthparts. Michal Michalski, representing Poland, won Natural Artistry with trees still swathed in autumn foliage. Even a newt laying eggs while clasping vegetation that holds another clutch found its champion in the competition. These images collectively force us to look at life and death without flinching. They remind us that emotion is not just human but shared across the animal kingdom.

The Natural History Museum in London just dropped its list of winners for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The event showcases incredible shots from around the globe that show nature in a new light.

One standout image captures a scorpion digging into shifting sand dunes in the Thar desert, taken by Sitaram Raul from India. He won the Behaviour: Invertebrates category with this gritty shot of survival.

In the deep waters off Papua, a whale shark investigates a mobile fishing net called a 'bagan'. Alex Lindbloom snapped this moment while standing on the platform itself. The US-based photographer took home the big prize in Oceans: The Bigger Picture.

Up in Uganda's Mabamba Swamps, shoebills gather nesting material for their nests. Isak Pretorius from South Africa captured these rare birds building homes and won the Behaviour: Birds award. His lens found something special right where people live.

A coyote pads along a trail overlooking San Francisco Bay in Bernal Heights Park. Loren Elliott, another winner from the USA, earned the Photojournalist Story Award for this scene that hints at life near a major city.

Tiny subjects also stole the show. Amelie Davis won the 10 years and under category with a photo of a common carder bee landing on a flower. She was only nine when she used her father's smartphone to take it. That image proves you do not need expensive gear to tell a powerful story.

Aaron Sanders from the UK photographed a common octopus peeking out from kelp in southwest England. His shot won the Animal Portraits category and shows just how mysterious these creatures can be.

Other winners include Agorastos Papatsanis from Greece, who captured glowing fluorescent fungi. Kutub Uddin from Bangladesh also took home an award for his shots of slime moulds hidden in woodlands near West Sussex, England. A young bull elephant spraying a group of zebras at a waterhole was another category winner not listed among the specific names but part of the winning collection.

One judge noted how hard it is to photograph small, moving subjects like bees or beetles. Yet these images feel intentional and tell an entire story without saying a word. They reveal how life cycles depend on things we often overlook or dismiss completely.

The exhibition will open at the Natural History Museum before touring internationally. Visitors can see these photos up close and understand why protecting nature matters so much today.

Dr Doug Gurr, director of the museum, called the collection extraordinary. He pointed to deeply affecting images, like an adult elephant carrying a dead calf, as proof that wildlife photography changes how we see the world. From dung beetles rolling balls many times their own size to intimate moments in forests and oceans, these pictures are surprising and profoundly revealing.

Every species plays a role in the complex web of life. Understanding this connection has never been more important for our future. The photos force us to look closer at what surrounds us every day.