Pikin and Appolinaire

Jo-Anne McArthur's Image

Pikin, a lowland gorilla, had been captured and was going to be sold for bushmeat but was rescued by Ape Action Africa.

Jo-Anne took this photograph as the gorilla was being moved from her former enclosure within a safe forest sanctuary in Cameroon to a new and larger one, along with a group of gorilla companions. She was first sedated, but during the transfer to the new enclosure she awoke. Luckily, she was not only very drowsy, but she was also in the arms of her caretaker, Appolinaire Ndohoudou, and so she remained calm for the duration of the bumpy drive.


Behind the lens

Jo-Anne McArthur

Jo-Anne McArthur

Canada

Not only is Jo-Anne a photographer and speaker, she's also the founder of We Animals Media. She has been documenting the plight of animals on all seven continents for close to two decades. Jo-Anne was the subject of the 2013 documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine and is the author of three books: We Animals, Captive and Hidden : Animals in the Anthropocene, which she co-authored with Keith Wilson and which was awarded Photography Book of the Year by Picture of the Year International.

Image details

  • Nikon D300
  • Nikon 17–35mm f2.8 lens at 25mm
  • 1/100 sec at f3.2
Copyright in WPY competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.

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