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Snap of snow leopard wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

Published: February 14, 2023
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Photo by Sascha Fonseca/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
World of the Snow Leopard

Location: Leh, Ladakh, India. Against a backdrop of the spectacular mountains of Ladakh in northern India, a snow leopard has been caught in a perfect pose by Sascha’s carefully positioned camera trap. Thick snow blankets the ground, but the big cat’s dense coat and furry footpads keep it warm. Sascha captured this image during a three-year bait-free camera-trap project high up in the Indian Himalayas. He has always been fascinated by snow leopards, not only because of their incredible stealth but also because of their remote environment, making them one of the most difficult large cats to photograph in the wild.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Photo by Igor Altuna/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Holding On

Location: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. This leopardess had killed a monkey in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. The monkey’s baby was still alive and clinging to its mother. Igor watched as the predator walked calmly back to her own baby. Her cub played with the baby monkey for more than an hour before killing it, almost as if it had been given live prey as a hunting lesson.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Photo by Brittany Crossman/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fox Affection

Location: North Shore, Prince Edward Island. On a chilly day in North Shore on Prince Edward Island, Canada, a pair of red foxes, greet one another with an intimate nuzzle. The red fox’s mating season is in the winter, and it is not uncommon to see them together prior to denning. This special moment is one of Brittany’s favourite images and one of the tenderest moments she has witnessed between adult foxes.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Photo by Martin Gregus/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Among the Flowers

Location: Churchill, Manitoba. Martin watched this polar bear cub playing in a mass of fireweed on the coast of Hudson Bay, Canada. Every so often the cub would take a break from its fun, stand on its hind legs and poke its head up above the high flowers to look for its mother. Wanting to capture the world from the cub’s angle, Martin placed his camera – in an underwater housing, for protection against investigating bears – at ground level among the fireweed. He then waited patiently a safe distance away with a remote trigger. Not being able to see exactly what was happening, Martin had to judge just the right moment when the bear would pop up in the camera frame.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Photo by Marina Cano/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Potrait of Olobor

Location: Masai Mara, Kenya. It was late afternoon when Marina found Olobor resting. He is one of the famous five-strong coalition of males in the Black Rock pride in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. All around the lion, the ground was black, having been burnt by local Maasai herdsmen to stimulate a new flush of grass. Marina wanted to capture his majestic and defiant look against the dark background and lowered her camera out of her vehicle to get an eye-level portrait.

The people have spoken. A record 60,466 wildlife photography fans voted in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice competition, awarding German photographer Sascha Fonseca’s photo of a snow leopard at sunset in the mountains of northern India the top spot.

“Photography can connect people to wildlife and encourage them to appreciate the beauty of the unseen natural world. I believe that a greater understanding of wildlife leads to deeper caring which hopefully results in active support and greater public interest for conservation,” Fonseca said in a statement after winning the award.

In 2018, Fonseca started his snow leopard project, where he left bait-free camera traps in the Indian Himalayas, attempting to capture a photo of a snow leopard, otherwise known as the “ghost of the mountains,” due to the animal’s ability to camouflage, its scarce numbers, and the rugged environment.

“This was the picture I had in my dreams,” he wrote on Instagram. “People said it’s impossible. Too cold, the equipment won’t work. Three years later I have captured some of the best high-resolution photos of snow leopards in the wild. Faith, persistence, and hard work have paid off.”

According to London’s Natural History Museum, which develops and produces the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, it’s estimated that there are only 6,500 adult snow leopards left living in the wild. The big cats face daily threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human-animal conflict.

Fans selected Fonseca’s “World of the Snow Leopard” photo from 25 shortlisted images narrowed down by the Natural History Museum from 39,000 entries.

The four runners-up included Spanish photographer Igor Altuna’s “Holding On,” a photo of a leopard carrying a dead monkey and its baby; Canadian photographer Brittany Crossman’s “Fox Affection,” a photo of two red foxes nuzzling; Canadian photographer Martin Gregus’ “Among the Flowers,” a photo of a polar bear cub playing among a field of flowers near Hudson Bay; and Spanish photographer Marina Cano’s “Portrait of Olobor,” an image of a male lion looking directly at the camera.

“This year’s record number of votes illustrates how wildlife photography can engage and inspire audiences with the wonder of nature. A result of dedication and perseverance, Sascha’s remarkable image captures the breathtaking beauty of our planet and reminds us of our shared responsibility to protect it,” said Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, in a statement.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year award is entering its 59th competition. A panel of experts are currently judging the next batch of entries with the winner expected to be announced in October 2023.

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