2006: The World in Our Hands - Runner-up
Joe McDonald (United States of America)
Silverback on the edge
Joe has made many treks to see the endangered mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and most have involved jungle hikes for up to four hours. On this occasion, though, he encountered a troop of gorillas before even starting up the mountain. The farm fields go right up to the park boundary, and feeding in the papaya trees and among the bean rows were about 15 gorillas of all ages, some fairly close to the village huts. 'I was struck by the symbolism of this image,' says Joe, 'illustrating not only the loss of the gorillas' habitat, but also how their future depends on their relationship with the local people'. Fortunately, the locals are very tolerant of the occasional visits - though it must be quite a surprise to encounter the world's largest ape among your beans.
Canon 1Ds with Tamron 28-105mm f2.8 lens; 1/2000 sec at f2.8; 200 ISO.
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Special awards Hurricane tree Jocke Berglund
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Special awards Circus life Peter Lilja
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Special awards Leopard shot Alessandro Bee
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