In the wild, every chase is a matter of life and death. Unlike us humans, wild animals fight for survival every day, whether they are chasing or being chased, with life as a bet. Predators run the risk of being killed by hunger and emaciation, and prey is destined to spend every day on the run from the moment they come into the world.
Jumping wildebeest, incredible
Andy Howe's photograph won the highest prize in the Nature in Action competition between the International Nature Society and the Wildlife Photographers Association.
Andy, from Suffolk, said of his winning photo: "This photo was taken during the Great Migration in Kenya's Masai Mara Reserve at an intersection called Cup-de-sac.
"Thousands of wildebeest and zebras have gathered on both sides of the Mara River to form super herds, waiting for the right moment and mustering up the courage to fight."
"The fact is that the animal with courage will act first and jump out first. They jump desperately into the crocodile-infested river, jumping and jumping again, and the adrenaline continues to surge. ”
The result of the migration is that what is left behind becomes prey, as illustrated by another highly praised photograph of him.
Wildebeest desperately tried to get rid of the lion that was wrapped around its neck.
When the lioness launched the attack, another killing was taking place at the same time, as many as 10,000 animals were crossing the dangerous river.
Andy said: "This instinct-driven migration, the temptation is too great. ”
A cheetah stared at a small gazelle, and the gazelle's face was terrified.
"This cheetah chased after all the animals that ran towards it, and after being ridiculed by countless wildebeests, success finally came to its head, and in front of me and my camera, it caught another animal."
The photograph, which norwegian photographer Bjoern Stuedal highly praised, also highlights the cruelty of nature.
Bjørn said: "I was travelling in Masai Mara, Kenya. One day, we spotted three cheetahs, a mother and two children, in pursuit of a young Thomson gazelle. ”
"The gazelle ran straight to us and tried desperately to shake off the cheetah, but was eventually killed."
Another photo taken by Bjoern shows two eagles fighting in the snow for a fox.
Two eagles fighting for the fox's carcass
"This photo was taken in Telemark, Norway, in February this year," he said.
"On the mountainside of a small village in the Telemark area, I am looking for a hiding place for eagles."
Just before sunset, an eagle finally appeared, followed by another. The target of their battle was the carcass of a fox. ”
Paul Smith finished third with his amazing kingfisher work
Birds have been a popular topic, and Paul Smith finished third in the competition by photographing a kingfisher catching a fish on the River Alde in Suffolk.
Two birds sharing food
Another of his photographs of two birds sharing food in Hungary's Hortobagy National Park is full of movement and the work is highly praised.
The bird is nesting
Photographer Nafis Ameen, 32, recounts how it took him nearly two hours to take the photo in his hometown of Dhaka.
"Every spring, I visit the National Botanical Gardens in the capital Dhaka to see the variety of birds in the garden," he said. ”
"I was walking in the garden when I heard the sound of tropical toucans nesting.
"I waited at least an hour or two to get this perfect picture, when it widened the hole in the tree."
Two penguins in South Georgia
On another continent, Nick Dale photographed an unusual bird, the Emperor Penguin, in southern Georgia.
The 52-year-old, from London, said: "An emperor penguin looked down and wondered what lay on the beach in St Andrew's Bay, maybe it just wanted to step over a rock. ”
"At the same time another penguin is watching, they all have black heads, white breasts, orange spots on the throat, gray backs, and black fins."
This photo of the bucks won runners-up
The runner-up of the tournament was filmed by Lee McCudden from the Outer Hebrides.
Lee, 26, said: "It was filmed in Glen Coe last October. I stayed there for a week, getting up close and personal with the red deer.
"I've been following this buck for a few days. I saw it roaring, warning the other bucks, showing its power. ”
"On the last day of my shoot, I saw it heading up the hill with mountain waterfalls and rock walls as a backdrop. When I pressed the shutter, it roared. ”
Commenting on the winning photos, Tournament Director Colin Jones said, "Andy's work won because of its excellent timing capture, authoritative action and perfect fit with the theme of the competition. ”
In this competition organized by the International Association for Nature and wildlife photographers, with the theme of "Nature in Action", we would like to thank every great wildlife photographer who has endured all kinds of hardships and dangers that ordinary people cannot imagine, and brought us this amazing moment. (Image from the Internet)
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