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Of baby elephants and mother crocodiles

"Wildlife Photographer of the Year" announced
Elephants have a mysterious and "tangible energy" according to South African photographer Greg Du Toit.
Now after a 10 year quest, his portrayal of this "energy" has been captured in an award-winning photo. Titled "Essence of Elephants",
the work has earned him the overall title in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Preparation and passion, he says, were the key to achieving the winning shot, taken from just over one metre away. "There was one particular day when a baby elephant raced past right in front of my camera and I was ready. I had to be prepared for that moment," said Du Toit.
He took the picture at a waterhole in Botswana's Northern Tuli Game Reserve from a hide (a sunken freight container) that provided a ground-level view. He had been going to the area five or six times a year for 10 years. "I chose elephants because I feel a very special energy and connection when I'm around them," he told BBG News.
"But although you feel that energy it's very difficult to translate that into a camera because an elephant is such a big animal and they're not very charismatic, whereas a predator is far more charismatic."
To achieve the cool blue hue, he attached a polarising filter and adjusted the white balance.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) "means a lot to me for
various reasons," said Du Toit, especially because photos were submitted anonymously, putting professionals and amateurs on an equal footing.
Ghair of the judging panel Jim Brandenburg said: "Greg's image immediately catapults us to African plains. This image stood out for both its technical excellence and the unique moment it captures - it is truly a once in a lifetime shot."
Meanwhile, this year's Young Wildlife Photographer of the year is 14-year-old Udayan Rao Pawar from India. His photo was of a fresh water crocodile with hatchlings on its head "kind of resembling a crown", Pawar explained. He crept up on the nestling colony of gharials on the banks of the Ghambal River.
"I could hear them making little grunting sounds. Very soon a large female surfaced near the shore, checking on her charges. Some of the hatchlings swam to her and climbed onto her head. Perhaps it made
them feel safe," he said.
Despite conservation efforts, the gharial fresh water crocodile is on the verge of extinction with an estimated 200 mating pairs remaining.
"The Chambal River is the gharial's last stronghold but is threatened by illegal sand-mining and fishing," added Udayan.
Wildlife photographer and Judge Tui De Roy said the composition and timing of the photograph was perfect.
WPY is one of the most prestigious competitions in world photography. Organised by London's Natural I listory Museum and BBG Wildlife Magazine, it is now in its 49th year. Images are selected for their creativity, artistry and technical complexity and must be submitted as a raw file with no manipulations.
The winners beat 43,000 entries submitted from 96 countries.
Source: BBC