Environmental report

This man gets the dream image. A transparent small boat is carefully positioned using nearly invisible fishing lines, directly above two whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) lured with food, while a drone captures the scene from above. The resulting photographs create the illusion of a spontaneous close encounter, concealing the carefully orchestrated choreography behind their making.

This image shows a veterinarian using an oropharyngeal swab to collect samples for possible diseases from a Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) found dead of unknown cause in the province of Segovia (Spain) in December 2024. Sampling wild animals is known as passive surveillance, crucial for understanding the diseases that wild animals carry and can transmit to domestic animals and humans.

A pile of coyotes (Canis latrans) at a hunting contest in north-central Ohio. Over three days, more than 150 coyotes are harvested for this event. The dead animals are thrown from truck beds, weighed in a repurposed cattle tank, and left to stain the concrete floor with blood and fur. After the event, some teams illegally dump the bodies by the side of the highway. Not a single part of the coyotes is used.

Snake wine (the one in the photo es a Monocled cobra, Naja cf. kaouthia) has a long tradition in Southeast Asia and originates from folk medicine. It was believed that the animals infused their "healing properties" into the alcohol, improving health or potency. However, these effects are not scientifically proven and are now largely considered a myth. Today, many of these eye‑catching bottles are mainly sold as exotic souvenirs for tourists.

A West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) mouths a yellow rope in a quiet spring of the Ocala National Forest. The animal rests in the shade of docked boats, where ropes, algae and runoff tend to collect. It is a protected species in one of the safest places it can find, yet danger hangs inches above its back. A single propeller dips into the water, a reminder that most manatees in Florida carry scars before they reach adulthood.

Single exposure. Since 2013 I have been photographing the protected Danube mayflies (Ephoron virgo) on summer evenings. The summer of 2024 will undoubtedly be memorable for fans of protected Danube mayflies. The human silhouette on the house wall created a peculiar composition with the mayflies swarming around them. Positive phototaxis under the spell of a streetlamp.

They created a solar park in Hungary, where sustainability was very important in the design. I was commissioned to photograph this. I really enjoyed the project, many positive images were taken, like this photo with a young Eurasian buzzard (Buteo buteo).