Karine Aigner (USA) delves into the relationship between Cuban culture and songbirds, and explores the future of a deep-rooted tradition.
This Cuban bullfinch has been positioned at the roadside so that it becomes accustomed to the hubbub of street life and therefore less likely to be distracted during a competition. These birds are highly prized for their sweet voices and feisty spirits.
The species is declining in the wild, mainly due to habitat loss and fragmentation but now also due to trapping and illegal trade to the USA. Traffickers have been caught with birds hidden in hair curlers, strapped to their legs and even stashed in their underwear. An estimated 80 per cent of smuggled birds do not survive, and those intercepted at customs are normally euthanised to reduce the risk of spreading disease.
USA
Karine is an award-winning photojournalist who captures visual stories that explore the relationships between humans and the animal world. Her work has been featured in National Geographic Magazine, Audubon, The New York Times, Nature Conservancy Magazine, The Guardian, WWF and BBC Wildlife. In 2022, Karine became the fifth woman in 58 years to ever win the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Grand Title.
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