LONDON: A stunning photograph of a Siberian tigress hugging an ancient Manchurian fir tree in a remote forest has won this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The image, titled ‘The Embrace’, took over 11 months to capture with hidden cameras. Russian photographer Sergey Gorshkov’s winning photograph beat 49,000 entries from all over the world and scooped up the top prize in the prestigious contest.
Sergey Gorshkov was named the 2020 wildlife photographer of the year by the Duchess of Cambridge at a ceremony held at London’s Natural History Museum.
The judging panel said that the photograph shows a scene like no other and offers hope that Siberian, or Amur, tigers are making a comeback. Rosamond Kidman Cox, chairwoman of the judging panel, said that ‘The Embrace’ offered a unique glimpse of an intimate moment deep in a Russian forest.
“Shafts of low winter sun highlight the ancient fir tree and the coat of the huge tigress as she grips the trunk in obvious ecstasy and inhales the scent of tiger on resin, leaving her own mark as her message,” Kidman Cox added.
The Siberian tiger, also known as an Amur, have huge territories of up to 2,000km for males and 450km for females, which makes photographing them incredibly difficult.
The Russian photographer installed his camera trap opposite this fir tree in January 2019 and struck gold in November. He said that he knew his chances were slim but he was determined to capture the image.
Amur tigers are said to live in the woodlands of eastern Russia with a small number existing over the border in China and possibly North Korea. The population of the animal is threatened by hunters, poachers and loggers. Recent surveys have indicated that greater protection may have resulted in a population of 500 to 600.
