Photograph of an elephant carrying a dead calf wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year

On 13 October 2026, the Natural History Museum in London announced the winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The top prize went to Italian photographer Federico Veronesi for his photograph “The Aftermath,” which shows a female elephant carrying a dead calf in Namibia’s Huab River valley.

The photographer was tracking elephants when he noticed unusual drag marks in the sand of a dried-up riverbed. He then caught up with a family group and saw a female with a calf whose leg was trapped between a tusk and her trunk.

Oscar Whitfield, a British photographer living in Zimbabwe, won the young photographers’ category. His photograph “Labour of Love” shows a dung beetle rolling a ball. The winners were selected from 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories.

Image: Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Translation editor: Ловушкин А.