A stunning photo of a lynx playing with its food has won the public vote in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
The action live shot, which shows a young feline tossing a rodent into the air before killing and eating it, was taken in the Spanish city of Ciudad Real and received a record breaking 85,917 votes.
Photographer Josef Stefan, from Austria, endured two weeks observing Iberian lynx from a hide at Torre de Juan Abad in Spain before he finally secured the award winning snap.
Mr Stefan said the journey to take the photograph was ‘the pursuit of a dream that had been with me for years: encountering the Iberian lynx, one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world’.
Lynx’s typically play with their food before eating it. In this instance, the cat spent 20 minutes teasing the rodent before take it behind a bush to devour it.
The species, which was on the brink of extinction in the early 2000s, has now recovered to number more than 2,000 thanks to consistent conservation efforts, he said.
Mr Stefan added: ‘The Iberian lynx is a living symbol of hope, showing what can happen when we take responsibility, act consciously and focus our attention where it’s most needed.
‘Winning this award and being able to platform this message is the highlight of my 30 years as a nature photographer.’
The action live shot, which shows a young lynx tossing a rodent into the air before killing and eating it, was snapped close to the Spanish city of Ciudad Real by Austrian photographer Josef Stefan
Another image that impressed the judges was a shot taken by Kohei Nagira of a sika deer carrying the interlocked severed head of a rival male that died after their battle were also highly commended.
The picture was part of the 24 shortlisted images for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People’s Choice Award which were chosen by a panel of judges from the more than 60,000 entries to the prestigious contest.
These are in addition to the 100 winning images announced in October.
Four further images which impressed wildlife lovers in the public vote and have been ‘highly commended’ include a group of flamingos under power lines in Namibia, taken by Alexandre Brisson, and a mother polar bear and her three cubs in the summer heat in Canada by Christopher Paetkau.
A photograph of young bear cubs play-fighting in a road silhouetted against the glow of car headlights, taken in Canada by Will Nicholls, and Kohei Nagira’s shot of a sika deer carrying the interlocked severed head of a rival male that died after their battle were also highly commended.
Dr Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, London – which runs the competition, said: ‘It’s been wonderful to see all the votes coming in to choose the photograph set for display in our flagship exhibition here at the Natural History Museum.
‘Whether showcasing fascinating behaviour or platforming a powerful story, this year’s selection of images was truly exceptional.’
The winner and four runners-up will be shown on the voting screens at the exhibition in London until it closes on July 12, while the top image will also be on the gallery wall alongside the winning images in the main competition.
