‘The aftermath’ by Federico Veronesi (Italy), winner, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
A startling portrait of an elephant transporting her dead calf has been recognised as the top image in Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026.
‘The aftermath’, by Italy-born wildlife photographer Federico Veronesi, provokes questions about complex animal behaviour in the face of death. Veronesi was tracking elephants on a dry riverbed in Huab River Valley, Namibia, when he discovered a female carrying her calf, its leg wedged between her tusk and trunk.
Kathy Moran, chair of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury, says: “This photograph works on so many levels. Emotionally it’s a gut punch, heartbreakingly poignant. Intellectually it’s proof that animals have cognition. This photograph says it all.”
Veronesi’s passion for photography and African wildlife was ignited while on a safari holiday in Kenya at six years old. He made the country his home in 2002 and in 2007 gave up his job to live in a tent in the Masai Mara National Reserve, tracking and photographing its wildlife.
You can see Veronesi’s captivating image above, while below are five other winning photographs from Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Want more? The 62nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is at the Natural History Museum, London.
‘Labour of love’, Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe by Oscar Whitfield (Zimbabwe/UK), Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 and winner, 11-14 Years, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Oscar Whitfield notices the arduous exertion of this dung beetle pushing its precious cargo.
‘Urban jungle’, Lumphini Park, Bangkok, Thailand by Seth Forestson (UK), winner, Urban Wildlife, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Seth Forestson spots a common water monitor carrying its fish supper in a Bangkok park.
‘On the outskirts’, Bernal Heights Park, San Francisco, USA from the series Wily Coyotes of San Francisco by Loren Elliott (USA), winner, Photojournalist Story Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Loren Elliott opens a window into the lives of the often-misunderstood coyotes living in the environs of San Francisco on the West Coast of the United States.
‘Tiny dancers’, West Sussex, England, UK from the series Secret Worlds by Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh/UK), winner, Portfolio Award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Kutub Uddin reveals a magical and often surreal world of slime moulds that can barely be seen with the naked eye.
‘Shedding Light’, Litochoro, Pieria, Greece by Agorastos Papatsanis (Greece), Winner, Plants and Fungi
Agorastos Papatsanis uses ultraviolet light to reveal the glowing yellow stems of bonnet mushrooms growing from a decaying log.
The 62nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is at the Natural History Museum, London, 16 October 2026-11 July 2027.
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