Picture Of Sleeping Polar Bear Wins Prestigious Wildlife Photography Award (images@ NHM_WPY)
Photograph of a young polar bear drifting to sleep on an iceberg has won the best wildlife photographer of the year people’s choice award. The picture was taken by amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani.
Douglas Gurr, Natural History Museum director told that, “Sarikhani”s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet”. He said that the though-provoking photograph is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat. He further added the picture also serves as a “visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss”.
A massive congratulations to Nima Sarikhani who has won our #WPYPeoplesChoice Award! 👏
‘Winning this award in this prestigious competition truly feels like a dream come true!’
Discover more about this year’s winning People’s Choice Award image: https://t.co/DMxNHKvB3U pic.twitter.com/XzxvTKuuhZ
— Wildlife Photographer of the Year (@NHM_WPY) February 7, 2024
Sarikhani took the image after three days search for polar bears though thick fog off the Svalbard archipelago of Norway.
Fans of wildlife photography and nature across the world were invited to vote for the 25 short listed images. Every year, the photography competition is organised by the Natural History Museum.
The picture, which was called the “Ice Bed”, was voted by 75,000 people. While talking about the accomplishment, Sarikhani said that “I am so honoured to have won this year”s People’s Choice award for Wildlife Photography of the Year, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition. This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it”.
He further added that he hopes the photograph will “inspire hope”, as climate change has become the biggest challenge faced today. He said, “there is still time to fix the mess we have caused”.
Other highly commented pictures are, Tzahi Finkelstein’s The Happy Turtle. The photograph shows a happy turtle with a dragon fly on its nose. The turtles sported an adorable smile.
Mark Boyd’s Shared Parenting. The picture shows two lionesses grooming a cub.
(Images are taken from National History Museum website)
