A young lynx, frozen in mid-air play with its rodent prey, has captivated the global public to win this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, setting a new record for votes in the process.
The image, titled “Flying Rodent” by Austrian photographer Josef Stefan, captured a Iberian lynx in Ciudad Real, Spain, tossing its catch skyward in a display of instinctive behaviour that lasted twenty minutes. It secured a historic 85,917 public votes, the highest ever for the award, from a shortlist of 24 images selected by judges from over 60,000 entries to the prestigious competition, which is run by the Natural History Museum, London.
A Symbol of Conservation Hope
For Mr Stefan, who spent two weeks in a hide at Torre de Juan Abad to get the shot, the photograph represented the culmination of a 30-year career dream. “Encountering the Iberian lynx, one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world,” was his goal, he said. The win, he stated, was “the highlight of my 30 years as a nature photographer.”
His image carries a powerful conservation message underscored by a remarkable turnaround. The Iberian lynx was on the brink of extinction in the early 2000s, with fewer than 100 individuals left. Today, thanks to decades of concerted effort, its population exceeds 2,000 animals, a recovery so significant it prompted the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reclassify the species from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable.”
This success is attributed to a sustained, collaborative effort across Spain and Portugal involving governments, NGOs like the CBD-Habitat Foundation and WWF, scientists, and local communities. Key strategies included ambitious captive breeding and reintroduction programmes, the restoration of crucial Mediterranean scrub and forest habitats, and concerted action to protect the lynx’s primary prey, the European rabbit. Measures to reduce human-caused deaths, such as building wildlife corridors and road underpasses to prevent roadkill, were also vital.
“The Iberian lynx is a living symbol of hope,” Mr Stefan said, “showing what can happen when we take responsibility, act consciously and focus our attention where it’s most needed.”
Highly Commended by Voters
The public’s selection also highlighted four other images for high commendation, each telling a distinct story of the natural world. Alexandre Brisson’s photograph depicted a flock of flamingos set against the stark industrial backdrop of power lines in Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Christopher Paetkau’s entry showed a mother polar bear and her three cubs lying listlessly in the summer heat in Canada, while Will Nicholls captured young bear cubs play-fighting on a road in Jasper National Park, Canada, silhouetted by the glow of car headlights. The final commended image, by Kohei Nagira, presented the dramatic scene of a sika deer carrying the interlocked severed head of a rival male that had died following a battle.
Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, said: “It’s been wonderful to see all the votes coming in… Whether showcasing fascinating behaviour or platforming a powerful story, this year’s selection of images was truly exceptional.”
The winning and highly commended images will be displayed on voting screens at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London. In a first for the People’s Choice Award, Stefan’s winning photograph will also be mounted on the gallery wall alongside the other category winners. The exhibition, which features the 100 awarded images from the competition, remains open until July 12, 2026.
