2012: The World in Our Hands - Commended
Huang-Ju Chen (Taiwan)
The dolphin show
Wandering behind the scenes at a Japanese aquarium, where captive dolphins perform for the paying public, Huang-Ju came across this scene. ‘I saw the workers scrubbing the tank,’ he says, ‘but then I suddenly realised there were dolphins lying in the drained pool.’ It was a stark reminder of how different life in a sterile aquarium is to a dolphin’s natural ocean habitat. ‘I was shocked,’ says Huang-Ju, ‘at how the staff ignored the dolphins and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to refill the pool.’ Such captivity seemed a high price for the animal to pay just for human entertainment.
Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro + Nikon DX 17-55mm f2.8G lens; 1/285 sec at f5.6 (+1.3 e/v); ISO 125.
View other winners in this category
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Winner Ice matters Anna Henly
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Runner-up Trophy room David Chancellor
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Specially Commended Primal fear Jabruson
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Commended The end of sharks Paul Hilton
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Commended Display of vulnerability Staffan Widstrand
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Commended Garbage picking Jasper Doest
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Commended The tourist tiger trail Melisa Lee
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