A photo of a young mountain gorilla joyfully dancing in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park has won the top prize at the international Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, a competition that celebrates humorous wildlife photography. The winning image was captured by British photographer Mark Meth-Cohn, who beat more than 10,000 entries from 109 countries. The photo, titled “High Five,” was taken during a four-day trek in the Volcanoes mountains as he searched for gorilla families. Meth-Cohn described the moment as unforgettable. He said, “That day, we met a large family known as Amahoro. The adult go

A photo of a young mountain gorilla joyfully dancing in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park has won the top prize at the international Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards, a competition that celebrates humorous wildlife photography. The winning image was captured by British photographer Mark Meth-Cohn, who beat more than 10,000 entries from 109 countries. The photo, titled “High Five,” was taken during a four-day trek in the Volcanoes mountains as he searched for gorilla families. Meth-Cohn described the moment as unforgettable. He said, “That day, we met a large family known as Amahoro. The adult gorillas were foraging while the young ones played.” ALSO READ: Rwanda names gorillas for the 20th time He added that a young male gorilla delighted the visitors by showing off playful acrobatic moves. “Watching him was a joy, and I’m glad I was able to capture such a special moment,” he said. Meth-Cohn noted that performing well in the competition reinforces the importance of their work as photographers. He described the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards as a major annual event, easy to enter, enjoyable, yet very competitive. After reaching the finals last year, he said he was pleased to win the top prize this year. ALSO READ:Rwanda’s tourism sector generates $647 million in 2024 The awards aim to highlight extraordinary wildlife moments while promoting awareness about biodiversity conservation. Stefan Maier, Chief Marketing Officer at Nikon Europe, said the judges shortlisted 40 outstanding photos before the grand jury selected the overall winner and category winners. He said, “The winners used joy, skill, and creativity to showcase the beauty of our planet. Mark’s photo perfectly captures the playful spirit of wildlife.” There are currently about 1,063 mountain gorillas worldwide, found across 780 square kilometers of forest in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.

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