Rare lynx photo wins public vote in prestigious wildlife photography award

An action shot of a young lynx playing with its food has won the public vote in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.

The image of a playful lynx tossing a rodent into the air before killing and eating it in Ciudad Real, Spain, was chosen as the winner from 24 shortlisted pictures, securing a record 85,917 votes from members of the public.

The shortlisted images for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People’s Choice Award were chosen by a panel of judges from the more than 60,000 entries to the prestigious contest – and are in addition to the 100 winning images announced in October.

An image of flamingos under power lines was highly commended Alexandre Brisson, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer Josef Stefan, from Austria, secured his winning shot during two weeks observing Iberian lynx from a hide at Torre de Juan Abad in Spain.

The image shows the young lynx playing with the rodent in common behaviour for the species in a game lasting 20 minutes before the cat got bored and took its prey behind a bush to eat it.

Mr Stefan said the journey to take the photograph was “the pursuit of a dream that had been with me for years: encountering the Iberian lynx, one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world”.

A shot of bear cubs playfighting also hit the mark with votersWill Nicholls, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The species, which was on the brink of extinction in the early 2000s, has now recovered to number more than 2,000 thanks to consistent conservation efforts, he said.

He added: “The Iberian lynx is a living symbol of hope, showing what can happen when we take responsibility, act consciously and focus our attention where it’s most needed.

“Winning this award and being able to platform this message is the highlight of my 30 years as a nature photographer.”

One of the four runners-up was this shot of polar bears lying in summer heat Christopher Paetkau, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Four further images which impressed wildlife lovers in the public vote and have been “highly commended” include a group of flamingos under power lines in Namibia, taken by Alexandre Brisson, and a mother polar bear and her three cubs in the summer heat in Canada by Christopher Paetkau.

A photograph of young bear cubs play-fighting in a road silhouetted against the glow of car headlights, taken in Canada by Will Nicholls, and Kohei Nagira’s shot of a sika deer carrying the interlocked severed head of a rival male that died after their battle were also highly commended.

Dr Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, London – which runs the competition, said: “It’s been wonderful to see all the votes coming in to choose the photograph set for display in our flagship exhibition here at the Natural History Museum.

“Whether showcasing fascinating behaviour or platforming a powerful story, this year’s selection of images was truly exceptional.”

The dramatic image of a deer still attached by the antlers to the severed head of a dead rival was one of the runners-up Kohei Nagira, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The winner and four runners-up will be shown on the voting screens at the exhibition in London until it closes on July 12, while the top image will also be on the gallery wall alongside the winning images in the main competition.