Pictured: Winning entries for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Striking images including an urban coyote and an elephant carrying a dead calf are among this year's winners.
Italian photographer Federico Veronesi has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 award for an emotional image of an elephant carrying a deceased calf. While on a tracking expedition in Namibia's Huab River Valley, Veronesi discovered the female elephant struggling to support her dead calf's leg. After sharing his photos with an elephant research project, Veronesi learned the calf had previously lost its mother years earlier and had adopted the practice of retrieving dead calves from other females.
Veronesi, who has dedicated 20 years to animal photography, called the encounter "the most heart-wrecking and fascinating and dramatic" and hopes his image will encourage viewers to see animals as individuals with their own emotions and relationships. The winning images will be displayed at the Natural History Museum in London starting October 16, 2026.
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