London Calling itself the “funniest photo competition in the world”, Comedy Wildlife Photography announced this Thursday (23) the funniest wildlife photos of the year, giving victory to a photographer from Australia.
Jason Moore captured a mother kangaroo in a pose he interpreted as an attempt to play an imaginary guitar, a photo voted best by the judges out of 5,300 entries. The winner will receive a safari in Africa. 
The photo was taken by a happy coincidence. Moore said he photographed waterfowl at a lake near the city of Perth in the dawn light but didn’t get any good pictures.
On the way back he decided to drive through an area where kangaroos usually hang out. The morning light helped illuminate the Kangaroo Mother, an aspiring guitarist who won the competition.
The funniest animal photos of the year
The Comedy Photography Awards competition, organized five years ago by British photographers Paul JoysonHicks and Tom Sullan, aims to raise awareness of conservation in an entertaining way.
The duo also hosts the Comedy Pet Awards, which this year was won by a Brazilian.
In addition to the main prize, the competition highlights the funniest photos in five categories, selected by participants from 85 countries.
Young Polish photographer Jacek Stankiewicz was the champion in the Youth category and in the People’s Choice (popular internet vote).
The image shows what appears to be a tense moment in the bird world in a forest near Krakow. In the author’s free interpretation of the scene, the young greenfinch appears to be irritated or “explaining that his brother has done something wrong.”
In the “Birds” category, the winner was Italian Vittorio Ricci, who documented the clumsy landing of a heron in a nature reserve in Africa.
Photo: Timea Ambrus / The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
Photo: Timea Ambrus / The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2023
Be sure to check out other images that received honorable mentions or were finalists in the competition
The turtle, photographed in Israel, seemed happy to interact with his dragonfly friend.
Another honorable mention went to the photo of this resident of a monkey forest in Ubud, Bali. The photographer said the area was magical and sacred to the Balinese people. And he asked:
“Could it be that our dandy is the reincarnation of a deity?
The photographer’s plan was to capture jackals, hyenas and birds in Keoladeo National Park in India. What did appear, however, was a deer in the middle of the road.
But at the moment of the click, an intruding monkey stole the attention and began scratching itself, extending its paw as if to lead the way. The image received an honorable mention from the jury of the funny animal photo competition.
This other monkey was among the finalists. The baby baboon registered in the Kruger National Park in South Africa took advantage of the ride on its mother’s back and appeared to ask for a kiss.
The funniest animal photos selected by the competition jury also included images of animal species that are more likely to cause fear except when they are photographed in relaxed moments.
This lion took advantage of the late afternoon to relax in the Masai Mara Reserve in South Africa.
The beautiful teeth of the painted wolf that lives in the Lion Sands Reserve in South Africa may resemble a smile, but don’t have much reason to laugh.
According to photographer Henry Keepin, the species is critically endangered and there are only 1,400 animals left in the wild.
According to the photographer who captured the scene in Poland, this dragonfly used the dew drops for a “little cleaning.”
The photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven also interpreted this shot of a beaver in a national park in Wyoming (USA) as a moment of hygiene: Did he have a thong in his hand?
Photographed in Virginia, USA, this gray fox cub found a quiet place to rest after practicing his hunting skills and appears to have improvised a cigar.
The seal also experienced a moment of relaxation, forming perfect symmetry with the rock in Staten Island, New York.
Photographer Bill Gozansky chose the perfect angle to capture what looks like a giraffe in a nature reserve in Namibia “sticking its nose where it doesn’t belong” while the object of supposed curiosity doesn’t seem to be enjoying it .
Truth or optical illusion?
Another who used an unusual angle to take a fun nature photo was Danielle Goonan, who “invented” a diving fish in the Seychelles.
Life in the wild is full of conflicts between animals, and some see funny photos through the lens of professionals and amateurs looking to capture the right moment.
This is done by Dutchman Allen Szalok, who recorded the tailor trying to drive away the goose to protect the nest with the chicks on the Minsmere reserve in the United Kingdom. .
In the series “Parents and Children,” the mother bear has lost patience with her offspring and is gently urging them to earn their own living (and food).
The conflict between these wild horses is more intense. The two demonstrate their strength in a choreography that the photographer calls “Tango” and recorded in the USA. And he warned: No one was hurt.
Penguins among the finalists of the competition
The cute and sometimes clumsy penguins are always present at the Wildlife Photography Awards and they can’t be missed in a fun animal photo competition. No one won the Comedy Awards this year, but several were finalists.
Argentinian Dario Podesta observed three king penguins in the Falkland Islands emerging from the water in complete harmony and appearing to be holding hands.
On the Antarctic Peninsula, a large group of gentoo penguins were returning from the sea when a lone chinstrap penguin suddenly appeared. The moment was interpreted by the photographer:
“The gestures at this meeting are so recognizable that it was easy to assume that the conversation went like this: ‘Are you sure my family didn’t go that way?’ ‘No, I said they went that way!’
