subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 23 November 2019 25
Lion Clearance
Charlie Hamilton
James, UK
Highly Commended:
Wildlife Photojournalism
This young male lion has
been poisoned in Kenya’s
Maasai Mara and is being
dragged away by the rangers
for autopsy. Part of the famed
Marsh Pride featured in the
BBC series, Big Cat Diary, when
the pride killed several cows,
the Maasai herders responded
by planting a cow carcass laced
with the insecticide carbosulfan.
Two lionesses died as a result,
while this male was severely
weakened and trampled by a
herd of buffalo and had to be
put down as a result of his
extensive injuries. Since 2015,
when this occurred, retaliatory
poisonings have continued as
human-wildlife conflict has
grown. Fewer than 2,000 lions
remain in Kenya – down from
an estimated 20,000 lions
50 years ago.
Canon EOS 1DX, 24-105mm f/4 lens at 24mm,
1/500 sec at f/14, ISO 1600© DAVID DOUBILET