Hunched in a human-like pose, legs crossed, hands held together etched against a background of bright yellow and red, a captive orangutan poses for photos. It's a striking image and one that draws our complex relationship with wild animals into sharp focus. The photo, captured at Safari World in Bangkok – a facility that has come under fire in the past for its exploitation of wild species for financial gain – recently received the 2024 Environmental Photography Award.
Orangutans exploited by the tourism industry, Thailand, 2023
Winner in the "Humanity versus Nature" category and Environmental Photographer of the Year
© Aaron Gekoski / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Internationally-renowned photojournalist and filmmaker Aaron Gekoski snapped the award-winning shot to draw attention to the devastating reality of animal tourism and the impact it can have on wild species.
Speaking about his photograph See No Evil, Aaron Gekoski reveals that at "Safari World in Bangkok, orangutans have been used in shows for decades. Every day, they are forced to perform in front of an audience that pays to see them. After the shows, they stoically wait for tourists to take photos with them. Beneath the glittering exterior lies a dark world of illegal activity and animal abuse. The orangutans used in the shows are often stolen from the wild, smuggled across borders and then trained using cruel methods."
Now in its fourth year, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation's Environmental Photography Award aims to become a benchmark event for wildlife and conservation photographers working to protect the planet. From a pool of over 11,000 images from across the globe, Gekoski's shot was unanimously voted the overall winner of the competition by the members of the jury, as well as the winner of the "Humanity versus Nature" and " Change Makers: Reasons for Hope" categories.
Other winners included less heart-wrenching images like Andrew Pollard's photo of gentoo penguins playing in the surf, or Fernando Faciole's shot of an anteater release.
Here are some of our favourites:
Injured humpback whale, Mexico, 2022
Runner-up in the "Humanity versus Nature" category
© Alvaro Herrero Lopez-Bletran / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Jaguar trying to attack a pig, Mexico, 2021
Runner-up in the "Humanity versus Nature" category
© Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Cobras" protection unit exercises, Zimbabwe, 2022
Winner in the "Change Makers: Reasons for Hope" category
© Aaron Gekoski / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Marking operation, Southern Sudan, 2023
Runner-up in the "Change Makers: Reasons for Hope" category
© Marcus Westberg / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Argonaut-sailor aboard a jellyfish, Philippines, 2019
Winner in the "Ocean Worlds" category
© Magnus Lundgren / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Papuan penguins, Falklands archipelago, British Overseas Territory, 2021
Runner-up in the " Ocean Worlds" category
© Andrew Pollard / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Dancing prawns in a barrel sponge, Thailand, 2022
Runner-up in the " Ocean Worlds" category
© Nataya Chonecadeedumrongkul / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Monarch butterflies in fir forests, Mexico, 2022
Winner in the "Into the forest" category
© Jaime Rojo / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Yellow leafhopper on a mushroom, India, 2022
Runner-up in the "Into the forest" category
© Soumya Ranjan Bhattacharyya / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Saro from Sumatra, Indonesia, 2021
Runner-up in the "Into the forest" category
© Vladimir Cech Jr. / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Polar bear in a blizzard, Canada, 2022
Winner in the "Polar Wonders" category
© Daniel Valverde Fernández / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Polar bear on the ice floe, Norway, 2021
Runner-up in the "Polar Wonders" category
© Florian Ledoux / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Fjallsárlón glacial lagoon, Iceland, 2020
Runner-up in the "Polar Wonders" category
© Ivan Pedretti / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Release of a giant anteater, Brazil, 2023
Public Award 2024 and runner-up "Change Makers: Reasons for Hope"
© Fernando Faciole / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Family of emperor penguins, Antarctica, 2022
Students’ Choice 2024
© Thomas Vijayan / Environmental Photographer of the Year 2024
Natural World
Natural World
Natural World
