This year, 42 pictures have been shortlisted by the organizers of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. These photos are chosen out of 7000 entries received from across the world. In a press release, one of the organizers said, “The final 42 images, plus the Portfolio and Video category entries from around the world include a laughing vine snake from India, a trio of strutting Gentoo penguins on the beaches of the Falkland Islands and a Kangaroo performing a picture-perfect Pavarotti impersonation in Australia.”
These awards are started from the year 2015 by professional wildlife photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam. The idea behind the awards was to create a competition that focused on the lighter side of wildlife photography and help promote wildlife conservation through humour.
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Here are some of the pictures that have been selected for the final round of the awards:
1.) Laughing Snake: The picture was clicked by Aditya Kshirsagar, India. “Vine snakes are very commonly seen snakes in the Western Ghats of India. When approached, they show aggression by opening their mouth wide open,” said the photographer while submitting it.
2.) A lazy Baboon: The cute baboon was captured by Clemence Guinard, France. In the captured picture a baboon is seen yawning. Photographer said, “But the graceful position of its paws, its fluffy cape, its eyes looking like it put some makeup. In front of the camera, this Baboon was on stage, ready to please its public and to start its tenor's solo.”
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3.) Tigress hanging with branch: The picture credit goes to photographer Siddhant Aggarwal. Passionate photographer while submitting the picture told, “I have been following the family of a tigress called Paaro in India's Jim Corbett National Park for many years. This is her daughter who has stood on her hind limbs to be able to scratch her face with a log. But, it appears as if she is carrying the log on her shoulders.”
4.) Monkey riding a giraffe: A cute and unique picture was captured by Dirk-Jan Steehouwer, Netherlands. In the picture, a monkey is at the back of the giraffe and the giraffe seems to be walking. While describing the photograph, Dirk said, “During a game drive we found a group of monkeys playing around with each other, jumping up and down from a bare branch. It was a joy to watch. After a while, I saw a giraffe coming from the right. By the moment the giraffe did pass the branch, one of the monkeys was on his post to ride the giraffe.”
5.) A giggling seal: The picture was clicked by Martina Novotna, Great Britain. In the picture, Grey seal is seen giggling. "I loved the expression captured. It looks so human-like. I was lying on a rocky beach for hours, as motionlessly as possible, patiently waiting for seal life to unfold around me. This seal pup came onto the shore for a bit of rest and ended up sleeping on its chosen rock for hours before the incoming tide forced it to move more inland. Occasionally, it would stretch and yawn and it was one of the yawns that led to this expression, looking as if the seal was giggling,” said the photographer.
