‘Ghost town visitor’, brown hyena, Kolmanskop, Namibia by Wim van den Heever (South Africa), Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
It took the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year a decade, limitless patience and dogged determination to capture his winning image.
Now, ‘Ghost town visitor’ by Wim van den Heever is taking centre stage in an exhibition of top submissions to the competition’s 61st edition.
The image is an evocative study of a brown hyena sloping through an abandoned diamond mining town in Kolmanskop, Namibia. South African photographer Van den Heever documented this chance moment using camera trap technology, impressing selectors with his haunting portrayal of natural and human environments colliding.
The world’s most rare hyena species, the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) is a nocturnal and mostly solitary animal endemic to southern Africa. Van den Heever achieved his unique shot 10 years after first discovering the animal’s tracks at the long-deserted town.
Akanksha Sood Singh, jury member for the competition, says: “This picture is a multi-layered story of loss, resilience and the natural world’s silent triumph, making it an unforgettable piece of wildlife and conservation photography.”
‘Ghost town visitor’ features alongside 18 other winning images from the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, showing at the Natural History Museum, London, from 17 October 2025.
Below, we share nine other highlights from the show, including an image by Jamie Smart, previously celebrated by the RPS Journal in its annual feature ‘Young photographers to watch’.
‘The weaver’s lair’, orb weaver spider, Wales, UK by Jamie Smart (UK), winner, 10 Years and Under, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Like an eel out of water’, peppered moray eel, D’Arros Island, Amirante, Seychelles by Shane Gross (Canada), winner, Animals in their Environment, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Synchronised fishing’, ladyfish, Yundang Lake, Fujian Province, China by Qingrong Yang (China), winner, Behaviour: Birds, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Frolicking frogs’, lesser tree frogs, Kaw Mountain, French Guiana by Quentin Martinez (France), winner, Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Mad hatterpillar’, gum-leaf skeletoniser caterpillar, Torndirrup National Park, Western Australia by Georgina Steytler (Australia), winner, Behaviour: Invertebrates, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Deadly allure’, insect-attracting pitcher plant, Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia by Chien Lee (Malaysia), winner, Plants and Fungi, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘Vanishing pond’, gas bubbles, Platzertal, Tyrol, Austria by Sebastian Frölich (Germany), winner, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘How to save a species’, BioRescue Project to save the northern white rhino from extinction, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia County, Kenya by Jon A Juárez (Spain), winner, Photojournalism, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
‘End of the round-up’, rattlesnake, USA by Javier Aznar González de Rueda (Spain), winner, Photojournalist Story Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 exhibition is at the Natural History Museum, London, 17 October 2025-12 July 2026. Tickets are available here.
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