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25 enchanting images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice awards

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A dramatic blue-grey sky highlights the soft greys of a Weddell seal as it rests on an ice floe.

The finalists for the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice awards are truly captivating, featuring a lounging seal, a determined honey badger, and a cheetah cub given a second chance at life.

Out of 60,000 entries, 100 finalists were selected for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, with an additional 25 images chosen for a public vote.

“Spiked”
Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg. In defence, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack then dragged it into its underground den.
Credit: David Northall / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards are organized by the Natural History Museum, London. Voting is open until January 29, 2025. View the stunning images and cast your vote at the National History Museum website.

A giant ground gecko stands fast against a pale chanting goshawk in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.
“The Brave Gecko”
One hunting strategy of the southern pale chanting goshawk is to walk or run on the ground in pursuit of prey. Willie watched as the little lizard put up a brave fight against its large attacker. Unfortunately, there was no hope of survival, but Willie was impressed by the gecko’s bravery.
Credit: Willie Burger van Schalkwyk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024 Willie van Schalkwyk
A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog puffs out its cheeks as it prepares to call for a mate.
“Concert in the Forest”
The first rains come in French Guiana after a long dry spell. They’re a release for all wildlife, but especially for amphibians. When it rains, the ponds fill with water. Dozens of species descend from the canopy or come out of the ground. They’re here to lay their eggs in the water, in an event called ‘explosive breeding’. The density of individuals is hard to imagine. It made for a special night for Vincent, who is both a herpetologist and a photographer. The call of the Surinam golden-eyed tree frog is so powerful it can be heard hundreds of metres away.
Credit: Vincent Preme / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024
A rarely seen four-toed sengi forages for food among the leaf litter in Mozambique.
“Snuffling Sengi”
Sengis mainly eat insects and look for their prey at dusk and dawn. They rely on a combination of good vision and excellent sense of smell to find food. Piotr watched this sengi over several weeks in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. It followed the same network
of trails every day, looking for beetles and other tasty morsels among the leaf litter. Sengis are extremely shy and skittish, so Piotr set up a remote camera to photograph the little creature sniffing for food.
Credit: Piotr Naskrecki / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024 P One of the bear cubs was more interested in playing in the water than eating, diving under the water, resurfacing, and playing with seaweed and kelp. Erlend observed the cub practicing hunting techniques on a northern fulmar but failing each time. This play hunting is crucial for the cub’s survival in the Arctic without its mother.

Northern giant petrels in a forest
“Forest of Dreams”
Northern giant petrels are large seabirds. They’re used to flying above the waves for weeks without encountering land. Samuel was surprised to find this one in such a woody environment. Like many other seabirds, it breeds on islands where there are fewer predators. Samuel took this image from a distance and left quickly to avoid disturbing the bird.
Credit: Samuel Bloch / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024
A barn owl hunting outside Vancouver
“Edge of Night”
A barn owl exits a hayloft window to hunt in fields outside Vancouver, Canada. Jess quietly observed the owl for several nights to understand its habits. He captured this image using a hidden flash triggered by the owl’s flight, while also capturing ambient light on the clouds and barn. On the tenth night, everything aligned perfectly as the owl left to hunt.
Credit: Jess Findlay / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024
Red-shanked douc langurs mating in Vietnam
“Togetherness”
Red-shanked douc langurs are seen mating in the forests of the Sơn Trà peninsula in Vietnam. These primates are critically endangered due to habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. After days of observation, Ivan captured this moment of two langurs mating, which he described as a graceful and gradual affair.
Credit: Ivan Ivanek / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024
European roller defending its territory from a little owl
“Annoying Neighbour”
A European roller defends its territory from a little owl in Kiskunság National Park, Hungary. Bence spent 27 days observing this behavior from a hide, capturing the moment when the roller made a surprise ambush on the owl. The little owl appeared bemused by the roller’s antics.
Credit: Bence Máté / Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award 2024
Eurasian badger in England

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