The image of a lion cub unexpectedly falling out of a tree in the Serengeti in Tanzania has been announced as the winning image for the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2022.
This year’s competition received 5,000 entries from more than 85 countries depicting wildlife being amusing – from winking foxes and jumping owls, to squabbling gulls and waving bears.
“I think part of what makes this contest great is that most of these photos probably happen by complete accident and that was certainly the case with the lion cub falling out of the tree,” says Jennifer Hadley, whose image was awarded the Creatures of the Land category winner and the overall winner, and whose second image of penguins was voted by the public. “It was very late in the afternoon and so I had my shutter as open as possible to capture the most light possible with my shutter down lower than I would have liked but I figured with the cub walking around in the tree, I didn't really need the speed.”
“It didn't even occur to me that he would make a go of getting down by himself in the most un-cat like fashion. I mean, how often do cats fall out of trees? The gasp that emanated from our vehicle was palatable. No one expected this to happen and of course we were concerned for his safety but happily as cats do, he righted himself just in time and landed on all fours and ran off with his siblings. A happy ending for a hapless kitty who didn't quite know how to get down from a tree.”
Category Winners
Highly Commended Winners
The competition began in 2015, and was set up by professional photographers and passionate conservationists Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam. It is free to enter, and donates 10% of its net revenue to the Whitley Fund for Nature.
Main image: Not so cat-like reflexes. © Jennifer Hadley/Comedy Wildlife 2022
