Italian photographer Federico Veronesi has been named the overall winner of the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. His winning photograph captures a female African elephant in Namibia's Huab River Valley cradling her deceased calf.
The Huab River Valley tragedy and the science of mourning
The photograph captures a moment of profound loss in the arid landscapes of Namibia, where Federico Veronesi discovered a lone female African elephant. As the report states, Veronesi was tracking elephant herds when he noticed peculiar drag marks across a dry riverbed, leading him to the sight of a matriarch cradling her motionless calf. This specific behavior—carrying and inspecting the remains of the deceased—is one of three documented patterns in elephants, alongside vocalizing and guarding dead companions.
This moment serves as a visual anchor for a long-standing scientific inquiry into the emotional lives of megafauna. By documenting this interaction, Veronesi provides a vivid illustration of the complex social bonds that define elephant populations. The image, characterized by golden light and hovering dust motes, bridges the gap between human observers and the raw, biological reality of wildlife suffering.
A victory in the Behavioral: Mammals category
Federico Veronesi secured the top honor by winning both the Behavioral: Mammals category and the overall winner award for the 62nd edition of the competition. The image's composition, which shows the matriarch pressing a hind leg of the calf between her tusks and trunk, has been noted for its ability to collapse the emotional distance between the viewer and the subject.
The winning work will be a centerpiece of the upcoming exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London. According to the report, the exhibition is scheduled to run from 16 October 2026 until 11 July 2027. Following its London residency, the collection is expected to embark on an international tour to promote wildlfe conservation efforts.
The debate over elephant comprehension versus instinct
While the image is emotionally resonant, it also highlights a significant scientific divide regarding the cognitive processes of elephants.. The source notes that researchers are currently split between two primary theories regarding why elephants handle their dead with such care.
One school of thought suggests that this behavior points to an innate, though not fully understood, comprehension of death itself. Conversely, other scientists argue that these actions may simply be a form of instinctual social behavior, deeply rooted in the complex, multi-generational social structures that elephants maintain. The photograph leaves the question of whether this is "true" grief or biological programming unanswered , providing instead a canvas for ongoing scientific debate.
From Bangkok monitor lizards to Indonesian whale sharks
The 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition featured a diverse array of global imagery beyond the winning Namibian scene. The exhibition will include a variety of subjects, such as a monitor lizard in a Bangkok park attempting to lure fish and the underwater world of Abbott's moray eels.
Other notable entries mentioned in the report include glowing bonnet mushrooms captured under ultraviolet light and a whale shark interacting with a fishing platform in the deep waters of Indonesia. These images, alongside Veronesi's work, aim to showcase the resilience and fragility of the natural world to a global audience.
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