How do we engage with nature from our concrete jungles? Apart from the patches of green in our balconies and gardens, our beloved pets, our once-in-a-way safari holidays, and of course the occasional wild encounters that cross our paths, we’re quite cut off from what’s happening out in the wild. And the wild, as we know, is fast depleting. So it comes as a rare treat to witness what goes on deep in the heart of our forests and oceans: how bison charge through the snow; how orcas cunningly trap their prey; how mushrooms fan out their spores. This is the sort of manic, unfettered wilderness that’s coming right to the heart of Mumbai this week, as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition from the Natural History Museum in London makes its India debut at Mumbai’s Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.
The 59th edition of the exhibition includes a spectacular showcase of once-in-a-lifetime moments captured in the wild by photographers across the globe—all of them winning entries of the 2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition—along with ‘Making of the Image’ videos that offer insights into how the natural world can be ethically documented on camera. The images are not just a visual feast, but help us engage with various species, their habitats, and the many threats—from climate change and deforestation to poaching—that are imposed on their survival. You don’t have to be an eco-warrior to enjoy this one: it’s a captivating exhibit for children, the generally curious and anyone who likes to spend some time looking at beautiful photography.
Here are some of our favourites from the exhibition.
Face of the Forest by Vishnu Gopal
© Vishnu Gopal, Wildlife Photographer of the year
The usually shy, solitary, and vulnerable lowland tapir is caught cautiously stepping out of the swampy Brazilian rainforest in São Paulo to scavenge off the nearby campsites.
Mushroom Magic by Agorastos Papatsanis
© Agorastos Papatsanis, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Revealing the invisible dance of the spores beneath the gills of a deer shield mushroom, the Greek photographer uncovers the beauty of the process of spore dispersal in fungi.
Coral Connections by Alex Mustard
© Alex Mustard, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
This long-exposure photograph celebrates the blooming biodiversity of a healthy coral reef off the Lembeh Island of Indonesia, as ghost gobies (tiny skittish fish) dart between the branches of a gorgonian sea fan.
Life on the Edge by Amit Eshel
© Amit Eshel, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A thrilling cliffside battle between two Nubian ibex against the stark Zin Desert in Israel. Spoiler alert: the showdown lasted about 15 minutes before one male surrendered, and the two parted without any serious injuries.
Whales Making Waves by Bertie Gregory
© Bertie Gregory, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A pod of endangered B1 orcas gets ready to ‘wave wash’ a Weddell seal off the Antarctic Peninsula. Wave washing is a rarely seen, community-hunting move in which orcas charge towards their prey, creating an aggressive wave that washes their target into the sea.
Possum’s Midnight Snack by Caitlin Henderson
© Caitlin Henderson, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A common brushtail possum, a nocturnal marsupial native to Australia, carrying a little joey in its pouch, is caught chomping on a greengrocer cicada in the photographer’s balcony.
Firebirds by Elza Friedländer
© Elza Friedländer, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A couple of white storks sneak onto the frontlines of a controlled fire in Kenya’s Masai Mara in search of fleeing prey. Controlled fires are a controversial way of managing grasslands to stimulate new growth and restrict the spread of bushland.
Fight to the Death by Jasper Doest
© Jasper Doest, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A majestic endangered African elephant in extreme distress after being run over by a train transporting manganese between Moanda and Libreville in Gabon, central Africa. The elephant had to be put down to save it from excessive suffering. Despite efforts to slow down the trains, there are regular collisions with the animals (up to 20 incidents each year) at the Lopé National Park.
The Golden Horseshoe by Laurent Ballesta
© Laurent Ballesta, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Described by jury chair Kathy Moran as “luminescent”, this image captures the highly endangered tri-spine horseshoe crab in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines. The ancient species is caught gliding slowly across the sea floor searching for food as a trio of juvenile golden trevallies darts about.
Snow Bison by Max Waugh
© Max Waugh, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A plains bison rakes up snow as he clears his path through the Yellowstone National Park in the US. In the late 1800s, these bison were hunted to near-extinction; their numbers are gradually increasing through conservation efforts but are still confined to protected regions.
Hippo Nursery by Mike Korostelev
© Mike Korostelev, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A tender underwater moment between a hippopotamus and her two offspring as they laze in a shallow lake at Kosi Bay in South Africa. Female hippos produce a calf every two or three years; their slow-growing population is vulnerable and under constant threat from habitat loss, illegal hunting, and natural disasters.
Lights Fantastic by Sriram Murali
© Sriram Murali, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A tropical forest almost completely illuminated with fireflies. The Tamil Nadu-based photographer combines 50 individual 19-second exposures to reveal firefly flashes produced over 16 minutes in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in South India.
The 59th edition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition, from the Natural History Museum in London, will be on view at the Art House at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) from October 5, 2024, to January 5, 2025
