Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov won the competition Wildlife Photographer of the Year, one of the most important nature photography competitions in the world, for his photo Embrace, showing a Siberian (or Amur) tiger hugging an ancient Manchurian fir in eastern Russia.
Amur tigers are found only in this region, they are few and scattered over a huge territory, which makes it difficult to find and photograph them. Gorshkov said it took more than 11 months before he was able to capture this moment with a hidden camera: he scoured the forest for signs on trees that seemed to indicate tigers’ passages and set up his equipment in front of it. fir in January 2019, only to find the photo in November of the same year.
The winner was announced last night in an online ceremony by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, who is the godmother of the London Natural History Museum, organizer of the competition. Roz Kidman Cox, president of the jury, called the photograph “a unique glimpse of an intimate moment deep in a magical forest”.
The Siberian tiger population is threatened by logging and poaching, which also affects their prey, which is why Tim Littlewood, scientific director of the museum and member of the jury, commented on the choice saying that “the extraordinary sight of the tiger immersed in its natural environment offers us hope. Through the unique emotional power of photography, we are reminded of the beauty of the natural world and our shared responsibility to protect it ”.
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The competition has reached its 56th edition this year. One hundred images, including the finalists and the 16 winners in as many categories, will be exhibited in an exhibition starting October 16. The photos were selected from 49,000 images taken by professional and non-professional photographers: there are baby foxes jealous of their meal, circus polar bears, monkeys, loons and parasites.
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