A photograph of a polar bear comfortably dozing on a piece of sea ice has been selected as the winner of the People’s Choice Award for Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Lovers of nature and photography chose a picture of a mammal at rest, taken by British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani and called “Ice Bed”, among 25 finalists. The photo received the most attention, with over 75,00 votes.
Before the judges selected the photo as a finalist, “Ice Bed” was submitted as one of a total of 49,957 entries to this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The competition, which was organized by the London Natural History Museum, received photos from 95 countries in 2023.
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“Even though climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope this photo also inspires hope; there’s still time to fix the mess we’ve made,” Sarikhani said of his winning photo of the polar bear, according to CNN.
Four other finalists received honors from the competition: “The Happy Turtle” by Tzahi Finkelstein, “Starling Murmuration” by Daniel Dencescu, “Shared Parenting” by Mark Boyd and “Aurora Jellies” by Audun Rikardsen. These four pieces and the “Ice Bed” will be on display at London’s Natural History Museum until June 30.
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“Sarikhani’s breathtaking and moving image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet,” Natural History Museum director Dr Douglas Gurr told the BBC.
According to the media, an amateur wildlife photographer took the photo on the coast of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago. Sarikhani spent three days navigating the frigid waters of the area before finding a lone polar bear lounging on the ice.
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“His thought-provoking image is a clear reminder of the integral connection between an animal and its habitat,” Gurr added, noting that the image “serves as a visual representation of the damaging impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education