Duelling lizards, fleeing elephants and other winners at the Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Awards

A standoff between a Sri Lankan leopard and a pack of wild pigs, a duel between two spiny-tailed lizards and two elephants fleeing from a mob in West Bengal are among the winning entries of the Sanctuary Wildlife Photography Award 2024.

The awards were presented at an event in Mumbai on Friday.

The annual competition is organised by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, which also brings out the Sanctuary Asia magazine, with the objective of promoting wildlife conservation through photography.

The awards were instituted in 2000 to recognise individuals working for the protection of wildlife and natural habitats in India.

Three winners were chosen by a panel of judges comprising Sanctuary Asia editor and founder Bittu Sahgal, executive editor Lakshmy Raman, senior members of the magazine team Parvish Pandya and Saurabh Sawant, wildlife photographer and author Steve Winter, Wildlife Conservation Trust chief Anish Andheria and wildlife photographer and field biologist Nayan Khanolkar.

Tharindu Dilshan Sendanayake was adjudged the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Pradyut Kumar Das received the second prize and Suman Poulick received the third prize.

The editors choice award went to Lakshitha Karunarathna.

Eleven change-makers from across the country were also honoured under four categories – Green Teacher Award, Wildlife Service Award, Young Naturalist Award and Lifetime Service Award – on Friday.

A look at the award-winning photographs:

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