Drone shot by Steve Irwin's son shows raging Australian bushfire

Dramatic drone shot captured by Steve Irwin’s son showing fire ripping through Australian bush wins people’s vote in Wildlife Photographer of the year contest

• A line of fire tearing through the bush in northern Australia is captured on a drone image by Robert Irwin
• The shot won an award in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest by London’s Natural History Museum
• The image and four others were chosen as favourites among 25 selected photos out of 49,000 submissions

A dramatic aerial shot of a line of fire tearing through the Australian landscape has won the people’s choice award in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

The drone image of bushfire in northern Australia captured by Robert Irwin, son of wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, received 55,486 votes from around the world to win the annual international competition by the Natural History Museum.

The shot and four others emerged as favourites after some 25 images were chosen out of 49,000 submissions. The five images will go on display until August 1 2021 at the Natural History Museum in London.

The four highly commended images that won over the public include Ami Vitale’s portrayal of a bond between ranger and rhino before the animal dies, in ‘the last goodbye’, and the wintry portrait of a mountain hare taken in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park by Andy Parkinson, from Derbyshire.  

A dramatic aerial shot of a line of fire tearing through the Australian forests, taken has won the people’s choice award in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

The last goodbye by Ami Vitale, showing Joseph Wachira comforting Sudan, the last male northern white rhino left on the planet, moments before he passed away at Ol Pejeta Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya, which was Highly commended 2020 in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

Hare Ball by Andy Parkinson, showing a Mountain Hare forming the shape of a ball as it grooms in Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, which was Highly commended 2020 in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

Close encounter by Guillermo Esteves, which was Highly commended 2020 in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, shows a moose on the side of the road at Antelope Flats in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, taking an interest in a dog in a car

Drey dreaming by Neil Anderson, showing an Eurasian red squirrel asleep in a box the photographer Neil had put up in one of the pine trees near his home in the Scottish Highlands. The image was Highly commended 2020 in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award by the Natural History Museum in London

Resting dragon by Gary Meredith, Australia. The Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia is home to a wide variety of wildlife, which exists alongside man-made mining operations. When the opportunity arises, the long-nosed dragon makes use of human structures. This individual positioned itself on a piece of wire mesh outside a workshop, waiting for the sun’s rays

Spirit of Bhutan by Emmanuel Rondeau, France. On assignment for WWF UK, Emmanuel’s brief was to photograph the elusive wildlife of the Bhutanese mountains. Surprised to find a rhododendron at an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 feet). Weeks after installing a camera trap, he was amazed to find an incredible head-on picture of a takin

Eye to eye by Andrey Shpatak, Russia. This Japanese warbonnet was photographed in the north of the Gulf of Oprichnik in the Sea of Japan. These unusual fish lead a territorial lifestyle among the stones and rocks of shallow coastal waters

Family portrait by Andrew Lee from the United States. Capturing a family portrait of mum, dad and their eight chicks proved tricky for Andrew – they never got together to pose as a perfect 10

Licence to kill by Britta Jaschinski, Germany. Britta’s photographs of items seized at airports and borders across the globe are a quest to understand why some individuals continue to demand wildlife products

Baby on the rocks by Frédéric Larrey, France. When this six-month-old snow leopard cub wasn’t following its mother and copying her movements, it sought protection among the rocks

Life Saver by Sergio Marijuán Campuzano, Spain. As urban areas grow, like Jaen in Spain, threats to wildlife increase, and Iberian lynx have become a casualty of traffic accidents as they too seek to expand their own territories

Turtle time machine by Thomas Peschak, Germany/South Africa. Although green sea turtles are classified as endangered today, at locations like Little Farmer’s Cay in the Bahamas, they can be observed with ease. The photographer, Thomas, hopes that this image provides just a glimpse of the bounty our seas once held

Lion king by Wim van den Heever, South Africa. As Wim watched this huge male lion lying on top of a large granite rock, a cold wind picked up and blew across the vast open plains of the Serengeti, Tanzania. As the last rays of sun broke through the cloud, the lion lifted its head and glanced in Wim’s direction, giving him the perfect portrait of a perfect moment

Shut the front door by Sam Sloss, Italy/USA. This coconut octopus was spotted walking around the black sand of the Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi carrying its house made of shells. Remarkably, this small octopus constructs its own protective shelter using clam shells, coconuts, and even glass bottles

White danger by Petri Pietiläinen, Finland. While on a photography trip to the Norwegian archipelago, Svalbard, Petri had hoped to spot polar bears. When one was sighted in the distance on a glacier, he switched from the main ship to a smaller rubber boat to get a closer look

Drawn and quartered by Laurent Ballesta, France. Scraps of grouper flesh fall from the jaws of two grey reef sharks as they tear the fish apart. The photo was captured near Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia

A window to life by Sergio Marijuán Campuzano, Spain. Two Iberian lynx kittens, Quijote and Queen, play in the abandoned hayloft where they were born. The reintroduction of the species to eastern Sierra Morena, Spain, has seen them, in more recent years, take advantage of some human environments

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