Photo of boxing orangutan wins wildlife photography award

Yesterday, I posted Sam Rowley's fantastic photo of two brawling mice on a subway platform that won the London Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People's Choice award. Also in the animals-that-fight vein is Aaron Gekoski's photo of a pugilist orangutan, a beautiful and ultimately tragic image that earned Gekoski a Highly Commended award in the Natural History Museum's competition. From the photo caption:

Orangutans have been used in degrading performances at Safari World, Bangkok and many other locations for decades. The shows were temporarily stopped in 2004 due to international pressure, but today the shows continue twice a day, every day with hundreds of people paying to watch the orangutans box, dance, play the drums and more.

Image: Aaron Gekoski/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. Read the rest