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Badger Admiring a Banksy Wins Hearts in Photo Competition

A badger appearing to admire a Banksy-style graffiti version of itself has won an award.


A badger appearing to admire a Banksy-style graffiti version of itself
Credit: Ian Wood | Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 | People's Choice Award

The image was snapped on a quiet road in St Leonards-on-Sea - near Hastings on England's south coast - by British photographer Ian Wood. Whilst it appears wonderfully serendipitous, it was actually a cleverly crafted moment.


Ian had noticed badgers emerging from a nearby sett to forage for food scraps left out for foxes. "I spent the best part of two years photographing them, and this particular photo came about as an idea. I thought it'd be fun to put the graffiti there and see if I could get a badger walking underneath it," he told the BBC.


And, sure enough, it eventually happened. Winning him the Natural History Museum's 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award.


The 25 nominated images for this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award received a record-breaking 76,000 votes from wildlife photography and nature fans worldwide. In addition to the winning image, four other finalists were highly commended.


All five images will be displayed online and at London's Natural History Museum until 29 June.

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