Documenting animals
Caped crusaders
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Documenting animals – Winner 2025
DESCRIPTION
In this series of images, you’ll see the story of the grey-headed flying fox bat. This Australian megabat has been suffering severe decline in recent years, mostly due to human persecution and loss of habitat. Young bats are often found injured, orphaned or sick and brought into specialist wildlife rescue centres where they’re rehabilitated and released back into the wild. I witnessed some of this process, as well as seeing a colony in the wild – their peaceful flight as they flew out to forage at sunset was just breathtaking.*
*These images show people caring for injured and orphaned bats, and the positive impact this care can have on wildlife. While the carer pictured should have been wearing gloves for their own protection, we wanted to exhibit these images for their quality, and the story they tell of people helping other animals.
In the UK and Australia (where these images were taken) bats must only be handled by experts who are wearing protective gloves. Bats can carry serious viruses such as rabies, which can be transferred through bites and scratches. Although they’re not usually aggressive, bats may bite or scratch to defend themselves when handled.
Life and death on the cliffs
PHOTOGRAPHER
Eilidh Shannon
CATEGORY
Documenting animals – Runner-up 2025
DESCRIPTION
I visit Bullers of Buchan in Aberdeenshire several times each year as it's an amazing place full of sounds and smells. Fairly early in the season, I arrived by boat and the razorbills were on the water – showing off to each other to find a mate. A few weeks later I saw frantic activity on the cliffs as the birds prepared the area to lay their single egg. Later in the season I returned and witnessed a sad end to the tale as a large raven swooped in and snatched an egg. It would have provided a good meal for the raven’s brood, but the poor razorbills will have to try again next year.