The nature photography contest that denounces animal abuse in some tourist attractions

The photographs awarded by the contest have recently been announced. Environmental Photography Award convened by The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. The young contest, which is celebrating its fourth edition, wants to create social awareness about the environment and invites participants to reflect on the relationship between humans and nature.

And proof of this has been the selection of the winning photograph for 2024. Photojournalist and filmmaker Aaron Gekoski has been the absolute winner with his photograph ‘See No Evil’. A moving image of an orangutan sitting in human clothing and staring vacantly at a wildlife tourist attraction in Bangkok.

Orangutans are often used throughout Asia in tourist attractions and animal parks, such as this one at Safari World in which the primates have to perform different performances such as dancing in a bikini or fighting with other animals of the same species.

The statues of the well-known three wise monkeys (see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil) in the background of the photo give name to the title of the image that denounces how we ignore the cruelty to which these orangutans and Other animals are subdued after – in most cases – being stolen from the wild, killing their mothers to obtain it. An intentional award that aims to give a touch of attention to the public and this type of tourism.

Gekoski, who also won first prize in the “Humanity Versus Nature” category with the same photograph and the “Change Makers: Reasons for Hope” category, has won a €5,000 scholarship at the University’s Amazon Research Station. from Ecuador.

The Spanish photographer Jaime Rojo, awarded at the World Press Photo 2024, has been the winner of the “Into de Forest” category with his photograph “Explosion of Monarchs”, a beautiful image of Monarch butterflies that have reduced their population by 80% in the last decades.

The public prize awarded by popular vote among the preselected images went to Fernando Faciole. The photograph, much more hopeful than the previous ones, shows how a giant anteater is released into its natural habitat after having subjected it to a series of tests and cardiac examinations to ensure its well-being.

Below we show the winning photographs from the different categories, although we recommend taking a tour of the contest’s official website to see the rest of the selected images.