A photograph capturing an elephant relishing a mud bath has taken first prize in a national wildlife photography competition organised by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).
The winning image, titled 'Still I Rise', shows Opal the elephant enjoying a muddy pile on a wet day at Colchester Zoological Society, which is home to four African elephants. The society's conservation work includes a Zambian elephant orphanage project and research into elephant vaccines.
Competition Highlights
Nearly 1,000 entries were submitted for the contest, which celebrates British conservation efforts. Other winners include a photograph of vulturine guineafowl taken at Watatunga Wildlife Reserve in Norfolk and a striking image of a red deer captured in Margam Country Park, Wales.
Dr Jo Judge, CEO of BIAZA, said: “After a rigorous selection process, we are proud to showcase photography which demonstrates not only the wonder of wildlife, but the vital work of our member zoos and aquariums in welfare and conservation.”
Category Winners
In the mammal category, the runner-up photo 'Our Endangered Brothers' shows bonobos, an endangered species supported by Twycross Zoo, the only UK zoo that houses all four great apes. The bird category winner 'Frosty vulturine' was taken during an early January sunrise at Watatunga Wildlife Reserve, while the runner-up 'Get weaving!' features weaver birds building nests at Marwell Zoo.
The fish category winner 'Eye of the Lion' offers a close-up of a fuzzy dwarf lionfish, with the runner-up 'Sealife Adventure' depicting a tompot blenny. In the reptile and amphibian category, 'Mid-nap breather' shows Friday the green turtle at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, and 'The Singing Skink' was taken at Hertfordshire Zoo.
Invertebrate and Native Species
The invertebrate category winner 'Small crab, big anemone' captures a porcelain crab at Oceanarium Bournemouth, while the runner-up 'Cockroach Wasp' reveals the insect's metallic exterior. The native species category winner 'Forest Lantern' shows fungi in West Calder, Scotland, and the runner-up 'The Watcher' features a red deer at Margam Country Park.
In the human category, 'Early Rounds' shows Watatunga Wildlife team members checking on animals at dawn across the reserve's 170 acres, and 'Flooded' captures a view from Whipsnade Zoo's penguin habitat where thick fog in the valley below resembled an ocean.
