2006: Urban Wildlife - Specially Commended
Fanus Weldhagen (South Africa)
Fur seal playground
The rusting hulks of whale-oil pipes in the abandoned whaling station at Husvik, South Georgia, today provide an adventure playground for young Antarctic fur seals. Fanus watched this pair while waiting for his boat to unload supplies for the Antarctic island. 'They played endless games of hide-and-seek,' he says, 'their contagious enthusiasm reminding me of my own children playing'. Antarctic fur seals were hunted almost to extinction by commercial sealing, but today there are thought to be around four million, 95 per cent of which breed on South Georgia. 'In this photograph,' adds Fanus, 'the pair have just found each other again and are greeting like long-lost friends'.
Nikon D2x with Nikkor AFS 70-200mm lens; 1/640 sec at f2.8; 200 ISO; Gitzo tripod.
View other winners in this category
-
Adult awards Still life and bear Igor Shpilenok
View
-
Adult awards The cowshed bats Klaus Echle
View
-
Adult awards Ermine at home Peter Lilja
View
Search the online gallery
Enter a keyword to search for images from the 2006 competition
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
All intellectual property rights in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition images are retained by the photographer. Any reproduction of the images without prior written consent will constitute an actionable infringement. For information regarding permission to use competition images please email us.