A brown hyena exploring a deserted mining town and a beetle observing the devastation of its forest home have emerged victorious in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The prestigious awards, along with 19 category winners, were recently unveiled by the Natural History Museum in London, the long-standing host of the event.
Wim van den Heever, a talented wildlife photographer from South Africa, clinched the Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with his captivating image titled “Ghost Town Visitor.” The photo captures a brown hyena amidst the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining town in Namibia, on its journey to the coast for seal pup hunting. Van den Heever’s decade-long dream of capturing this elusive moment finally materialized after setting up camera traps and patiently waiting for the perfect shot.
Meanwhile, Andrea Dominizi from Italy secured the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with his striking photograph named “After the Destruction.” The image features a longhorn beetle perched on a mossy log, overlooking remnants of a logging operation in central Italy.
Shane Gross, a photographer hailing from Nanaimo, B.C., was the sole Canadian category winner this year, triumphing in the “Animals in their Environment” category with his photo “Like an Eel out of Water.” Gross captured this mesmerizing shot while documenting the environmental changes on D’Arros Island in the Seychelles archipelago.
Gross’s photo showcases peppered moray eels scavenging for fish along the shore, revealing their unique behaviors and interactions in their natural habitat. Through his lens, Gross highlights the importance of marine protected areas in safeguarding the entire ecosystem, from iconic species like sharks and sea turtles to lesser-known creatures like eels.
The winning images, selected from over 60,000 submissions, will be part of an exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London starting this Friday. Canadians can also view these captivating photographs at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto from November 8, 2025, to March 29, 2026.