Wildlife pictures are often amazing not only because of close-ups of wild animals that you wouldn’t normally be able to see in real life but also because of some amazing shots that are hilarious because they seem to mimic human behavior.
And one picture of two mice scuffling at a London Underground station won the top spot as the National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People’s Choice Award.
The winning picture was chosen after it got 28,000 votes from the public and bested 24 other photos on the shortlist. Quite an achievement considering they had to whittle down 48,000 entries.
The winning shot, titled Station Squabble, was taken by Sam Rowley of Bristol, UK.
Granted, seeing two mice brawling is quite hilarious, Michael Dixon, the director of the Natural History Museum, hopes that we get more than just a giggle out of it.
Speaking to The Evening Standard, he said: “Sam’s image provides a fascinating glimpse into how wildlife functions in a human-dominated environment. The mice’s behavior is sculpted by our daily routine, the transport we use and the food we discard.
“This image reminds us that while we may wander past it every day, humans are inherently intertwined with the nature that is on our doorstep – I hope it inspires people to think about and value this relationship more.”
As to how Sam managed to snap the winning shot, he explained on the Natural History Museum website: “Sam discovered the best way to photograph the mice inhabiting London’s Underground was to lie on the platform and wait.
“He only saw them fight over scraps of food dropped by passengers a few times, possibly because it is so abundant. This fight lasted a split second before one grabbed a crumb and they went their separate ways.”
The other worthy contenders that made the shortlist included a polar bear playing with her cubs in Canada, a leopard relaxing on its side in Kenya, and a bunch of reindeer in the snow that made them near-invisible in Norway.
Last October, Yongqing Bao won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for snapping a pic of a Tibetan fox and a Himalayan marmot in a hilarious standoff.
Bao, from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau area in China, captured the dramatic shot after spending several hours on an alpine meadow. That’s when his patience was rewarded when a female fox pounced on a surprised marmot and he snapped the pic at just the right moment.
He appropriately named pic The Moment.
Replaced!