This was published 3 years ago
Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2020 finalists named: Funniest animal photos of the year
By Craig Platt
Take a look at this year's 44 finalists in the photo gallery above.
"Nature is healing" has become a common phrase during the COVID-19 pandemic, as wildlife returns to long-abandoned locations in the absence of humans.
The reality might not be so simple, but one thing that's certain is nature is always hilarious, as the finalists in this year's Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards demonstrate.
This year's selection includes a very smiley fish, a greedy puffin, a fox in heated negotiations, a bird with COVID hair and a turtle that's giving 2020 the bird.
Created by professional photographers and conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the global competition aims to highlight wildlife conversation while also giving people a much-needed laugh.
The winner of the competition will receive a safari trip to the Masaai Mara in Kenya.
A diverse panel of judges, including photographers, travel editors and comedians, will name the overall winner on October 22. There's also a People's Choice Award that the public can vote for online at comedywildlifephoto.com
Several of this year's finalists are from Australia: Mark Fitzpatrick from Mackay in Queensland, who snapped the annoyed turtle off Lady Elliott Island; Wei Ping Peng from Sydney captured the snow monkey enjoying a hot bath in Japan; Sue Hollis from Summerland Point on the NSW coast took the pic of the sea lion performing yoga in the Galapagos Islands.
Last year's winner, titled 'Grab life by the ....', by Sarah Skinner featured a male lion about to experience something rather painful, courtesy of a cub.
"Grab life by the ..."Credit: Sarah Skinner/Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2019
The awards this year are sharing the following five conservation messages:
SHOP LOCALLY AND RESPONSIBLY
With the recent lockdown, we have all got used to doing things slightly differently, including shopping closer to home, so why not carry on? It helps in all sorts of ways from supporting small, local businesses to shrinking your carbon footprint and is way more fun. And if you can avoid buying un-recyclable products and one-use plastics/packaging, even better.
PUT PLANT BOXES ON YOUR WINDOWSILLS
One of the easiest things to do... put a plant box on your windowsill, grow some flowers, and give the bees somewhere to go. We've all heard of the importance of bees, and this little nod towards their daily requirements is already a huge step in the right direction. Imagine if every windowsill had a flower box! It would be an absolute miracle, so let's start that process.
ONLY FLY LONG HAUL IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO
Something else lockdown has taught us is how amazing the internet is at keeping us in touch with each other. We're all Zoom experts now. Let's embrace this new whizz technology and only take those flights if there is really no other way.
BECOME A "WILD INFLUENCER"
This is a special person who may be not a mega activist, but someone who really cares about the environment and wants to do something to help.
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