The\u00a0People\u2019s Choice Award are 25 images, in addition to the 100 photos chosen by the judging panel, which are voted on by the public.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u201cThe People\u2019s Choice Award offers striking observations of nature and our relationship with it, sparking our curiosity and strengthening our connection with the natural world,\u201d says Dr Natalie Cooper, a researcher at the Natural History Museum and member of the judging panel. \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible challenge to pick just one of these images, so we\u2019re looking forward to discovering which wild moment emerges as the public\u2019s favourite.\u201d<\/p>\n The 25 images are currently on display at the highly acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, until the voting ends. The winner will then be showcased until the exhibition closes on 5th June 2022.<\/p>\n The top five People\u2019s Choice Award images will also be displayed online, joining the winners of the fifty-seventh Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition chosen by the panel of judges and announced earlier this year.<\/p>\n Vote online for the winner of the People\u2019s Choice Award on the NHM website<\/a>, and closes at 2pm (GMT) on 2nd February 2022.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> To view the images as a slideshow, click on the arrows in the top right hand corner of the photos below.<\/em><\/p>\n Dozens of plains zebra had showed up to drink at Okaukuejo waterhole in Etosha National Park, Namibia \u2013 a popular location for the animals of the area to quench their thirst caused by the searing heat of the sun. Packed closely together and moving as one, the zebra lowered their heads to get water and, almost immediately, robotically lifted them again to scan for danger.<\/p>\n This went on for five minutes and their stripes reminded Lucas of a living barcode. Focusing hard, his aim was to capture only one with its head up and, just before the herd left, he got the image he thinks best showcases these iconic black-and-white striped animals.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It is a two-hour helicopter ride from the nearest town to this spot on the Fishing Branch River in Yukon, Canada \u2013 a location where the river never freezes however cold it gets. The salmon run occurs in the late autumn here and for the grizzly bears of the area this open water offers a final chance to feast before hibernating.<\/p>\n It was averaging around -30\u00b0C (-22\u00b0F) and Andy had been waiting and hoping that one particular female bear would use this log to cross the stream. Eventually she did just that and he got the picture he\u2019d envisioned \u2013 her fur, wet from fishing, had frozen into icicles and \u2018you could hear them tinkle as she walked past\u2019.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Zhang was visiting China\u2019s Qinling Mountains to observe the behaviour of the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey. The mountains\u2019 temperate forests are the endangered monkeys\u2019 only habitat, which in itself is under threat from forest disturbance. Zhang loves to watch the dynamics of the family group \u2013 how close and friendly they are to each other.<\/p>\n And when it is time to rest, the females and young huddle together for warmth and protection. This image perfectly captures that moment of intimacy. The young monkey\u2019s unmistakable blue face nestled inbetween two females, their striking golden-orange fur dappled in light.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n It was the schooling barracudas at Blue Corner, Palau, in the western Pacific, that grabbed Yung\u2019s attention while diving in the turquoise seascape. He had been swimming with them for four days, but their formation constantly changed shape and he could not find the perfect angle. On the fifth day his luck changed when the fish seemed to accept him into the group.<\/p>\n Surrounded by the barracudas, he started to imagine how one fish sees another while swimming, and this was the picture he wanted. The fish were fast, and he had to swim hard to keep his place in the school. At the end of an exhausting 50 minutes, he got his perfect \u2018fish eye\u2019 view.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A female giant anteater was foraging around a huge open plain very late one afternoon in the Pantanal, Brazil, when Wim suddenly noticed she had a youngster on her back. He instinctively grabbed his camera and slowly crept up to a termite mound in the distance, which was in the general direction she was moving in.<\/p>\n Sitting quietly he waited for her to make her way over. But the light was fading quickly, and he began to wonder if he\u2019d have time to capture the scene. After\u00a0waiting quite some time \u2013 anteaters walk slowly \u2013 and holding some very heavy camera equipment, Wim was rewarded for his patience.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the Lishan Nature Reserve in Shanxi Province, China, Qiang watched as two male golden pheasants continuously swapped places on this trunk \u2013 their movements akin to a silent dance in the snow. The birds are native to China, where they inhabit dense forests in mountainous regions.<\/p>\n Although brightly coloured, they are shy and difficult to spot, spending most of their time foraging for food on the dark forest floor, only flying to evade predators or to roost in very high trees during the night.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Peter looked on as a herd of elephants closed ranks, pushing their young into the middle of the group for protection. A bull elephant had been trying to separate a newborn calf from its mother. Peter was photographing the herd in Addo Elephant Reserve, South Africa, when the newborn let out a shriek. The herd reacted instantly \u2013 blowing loud calls, flapping ears and then surrounding the young and reaching out their trunks for reassurance.<\/p>\n Elephants create bonds that last a lifetime, and they can show emotions from love to anger. Peter feels \u2018There is something magical and beautiful when you observe elephants \u2013 it touches your soul and pulls at your heartstrings.\u2019<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n There were several big trees near Minghui\u2019s hotel in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden in Yunnan Province, China, and he\u2019d noticed green tree ants on the trunks and was fascinated by their behaviour. This species of ant builds its nest in the tree crown, are ferocious by nature and good at catching all kinds of insects. One morning Minghui noticed a group of ants working together in perfect unity to restrain a green katydid.<\/p>\n These remarkable ants don\u2019t always kill, they have been observed \u2018farming\u2019 certain types of insects, including leaf hoppers. The ants offer leaf hoppers protection from predators and parasites so that they can feed on the sweet sap the leaf hoppers excrete.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Michiel took this photo of Dantita, as she is fondly known, at the foothills of Braulio Carrillo National Park, close to San Jos\u00e9 in central Costa Rica. The Baird\u2019s tapir or \u2018gardeners of the forest\u2019 are extremely important to their natural habitat, with some seeds only germinating after passing through the tapir.<\/p>\n But due to threats from deforestation and hunting, there are estimated to be only 6,000 individuals left in the wild. Conservation groups such as Proyecto Tapir Nicaragua and Nai Conservation have been set up to work closely with local communities to promote the importance of preserving the land and protecting an endangered species.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Taking care of a young orangutan requires a lot of energy. Maxime spent more than one hour observing this mother in the Pinus Jantho Nature Reserve of Sumatra, Indonesia, trying to keep her excitable baby with her in the nest. Since 2011 the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program has released more than 120 confiscated apes into the reserve.<\/p>\n Their goal is to establish new wild populations as a safety net against decline. This mother, Marconi, was once held captive as an illegal pet, but was nursed back to health and released in 2011. In 2017 she was spotted with a wild born baby, Masen, a symbol of hope for the future population.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nView more images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year:\u00a0<\/h4>\n
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