World's best nature photos
The 2016 World Press Photo Contest announced the best photos of last year on February 18, 2016, which included images of a cloud tsunami, whale whisperers, and ivory wars in the nature categories for press photography.
The winning images are selected from both single entries as well as story ones, which consist of 2 to 10 photos, in the 59th annual prestigious competition honoring photojournalism and documentary photography. Entries have been taken across the globe by 5,775 professional photographers from 128 different countries.
Nature, 1st prize singles "Storm Front" by Rohan Kelly
A massive 'cloud tsunami' looms over Sydney as a sunbather reads, oblivious to the approaching shelf cloud on Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia on 06 November 2015. The enormous shelf cloud rolled in from the sea, turning the sky almost black and bringing violent thunderstorms in its wake. The phenomena is a spectacular weather event seen only a few times a year.
"Whale Whisperers"
Nature, 2nd prize singles - "The Whale Wisperers" by© Anuar Patjane
Divers observe and surround a humpback whale and her newborn calf whilst they swim around Roca Partida in the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico, January 28, 2015.
"The Power of Nature"
Nature, 3rd prize singles - "The Power of Nature" bySergio Velasco Garcia
Colima Volcano in Mexico shows a powerful night explosion with lightning, ballistic projectiles and some incandescent rockfalls, December 13, 2015 in the state of Colima. Colima volcano had a period of enormous activity in July 2015; at least 700 inhabitants were evacuated from their settlements.
The volcano created three to six explosions per day with frequent lightning. This particular lightning is more than 600 meters long, so the big light made clear some details of the south portion of volcano. It's an 8 second shot, time enough to catch the explosion and the lightning.
"Tough Times for Orangutans"
Category: Nature, 1st prize stories - "Tough Times for Orangutans" by Tim Laman
The lives of wild orangutans are brought to light in Laman's winning photo essay. Threats to these orangutans from fires, the illegal animal trade and loss of habitat due to deforestation have resulted in many orphan orangutans ending up at rehabilitation centers.
A adult male Sumatran orangutan threatens another nearby male in the Batang Toru Forest, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, March 17, 2014.
"Tough Times for Orangutans"
A Bornean orangutan climbs over 30 meters up a tree in the rain forest of Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, August 12, 2015.
"Tough Times for Orangutans" by Tim Laman
A Bornean orangutan is seen through the smoke of forest fires along the Mangkutup River, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, 24 October 2015.
Unflanged male orangutan in a strip of remaining forest along the edge of the Mangkutup River, seen through the smoke of forest fires. Forest away from the river has burned.
Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii
Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia Island of Borneo
"Tough Times for Orangutans"
Dr. Ayu, a veterinarian from International Animal Rescue, carries a Bornean orangutan baby from a house where it was kept illegally in captivity as a pet in the village of Sungai Besar, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, July 27, 2015.
"Ivory Wars" by Brent Stirton
Category: Nature, 2nd prize stories - "Ivory Wars" by Brent Stirton/Getty Images for National Geographic
This photo essay portrays the armed groups that profit most from the illegal ivory trade and the people at the frontline of the war against them, as well as others who are affected.
Rangers from a horse patrol group exhibit their riding skills as they return to base at Zakouma National Park, Chad after weeks on elephant patrol. The horse patrols are the old guard of Zakouma's rangers and have seen a good deal of conflict in their time in the park. Zakouma lost nearly 75% of its elephants in the decade before 2011 due to raids by Janajaweed and Sudanese poachers, many of them from the Sudanese military. The president of Chad, Idris Deby, is a big supporter of Zakouma and of its elephants. The herds in Zakouma until recently used to be as large as 1000 animals all moving together. Severe poaching over the last decade saw that number decimated and now only around 10% of the number remains.
Since 2011 however there has been control over poaching so that only 3 elephants have been poached in the last 2 years. The credit for that lies with these rangers and the new management of the park, including nomad groups who are a vital part of intelligence gathering for Zakouma.
"Ivory Wars" by Brent Stirton
Michael Oryem, 29, is a recently defected Lord's Resistance Army fighter who's former LRA group is involved in the poaching of Ivory in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Garamba is a former base of operations for the LRA and a major source of financing for the notorious group for both food and weapons supplies.
Oryem is shown here with 2 of 6 ivory tusks that he hid and then led the Ugandan forces to inside the border region of the Central African Republic (CAR), November 17, 2014. He claims that the LRA killed many elephants in Garamba National Park in the DRC and that he was ordered by Joseph Kony, the LRA's notorious leader, to bring the ivory to him in Darfur, South Sudan.
Oryem was abducted by the group when he was 9 and lived with them for over 17 years in the wild. He was made a commander in the group at the age of 12. The LRA is infamous for the killing and abduction of thousands of civilians across multiple countries. He defected and is now a recent new member of the Ugandan Army, UPDF, African Union force hunting the LRA.
"Ivory Wars" by Brent Stirton
Ugandan soldiers cross one of many rivers, using a technique they have perfected with ropes despite the fact that many of the men cannot swim, while on patrol against the Lord's Resistance Army close to the border of the DRC, November 25, 2015.The Ugandan contingent based in CAR are focused on the apprehension of the Lord's Resistance Army, the notorious rebel group led by Joseph Kony which has terrorized citizens of Uganda, CAR, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo for the last 4 decades.
The LRA contingent they are hunting is coming from Garamba National Park where they have been hunting ivory, a task ordered by Joseph Kony and detailed in a commander's diary that this Ugandan contingent captured in an ambush earlier in 2014. Defectors say that Joseph Kony, leader of the LRA, is increasingly reliant on ivory as a means of trade for weapons and supplies from their hosts the Sudanese Army.
"Ivory Wars" by Brent Stirton
Containers with 4 tons of illegal ivory confiscated in January 2014 by the Togolese customs office from its new deep water port, Lome,' Togo are seen here.
This ivory has been directly linked through DNA evidence to the elephant massacre that occured in Dzanga Bai, Central African Republic in 2013. That massacre was perpetrated by Seleka rebels who climbed the observation towers at the famous forest elephant gathering place in Dzanga Bai and gunned down the elephants with automatic weapons. The Seleka rebels would have used the proceeds from this ivory sale for some of the violence which has plagued CAR over much of 2013 and 2014.
Togo has been viewed as a new opportunity by ivory smugglers with its new deep water port. Customs officers with new container scanning technology have made the efforts of these smugglers more difficult.
"Chameleon Under Pressure" by Christian Ziegler
Category: Nature, 3rd prize stories - "Chameleon Under Pressure" by Christian Ziegler for National Geographic
Madagascar holds more than half of the world's chameleon species; however, as a result of deforestation causing habitat loss, 50 percent of the chameleon species is endangered.
Two male Panther chameleons, Furcifer pardalis, fight in Madagascar Exotique, Madagascar, November 11, 2015.
"Chameleon Under Pressure" by Christian Ziegler
A Furcifer ambrensis, female forages for insects with its extendable tongue.
"Chameleon Under Pressure" by Christian Ziegler
Brookesia decaryi male and female sit in perfect camouflage in the leaf litter of a dry forest in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, November 26, 2015.
"Chameleon Under Pressure" by Christian Ziegler
A juvenile Furcifer balteatus in a recently burned landscape. Fires are often deadly for chameleons, because they can't move fast enough to escape them.
The common practice of burning the landscape at the end of every dry season has affected many species of chameleons, both directly via fatalities due to burning and indirectly due to habitat loss, in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, November 16, 2015.