Powerful Photo of a Mother Elephant Carrying Dead Calf Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year

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Matt Growcoot
A black-and-white photograph shows an adult elephant using its trunk to gently lift a small calf off the ground.
A powerful moment of an elephant carrying a dead calf, a rare glimpse into complex animal behaviors. Winner of the Behavior: Mammals category and Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. | Photo by Federico Veronesi / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

A photographer who captured a heartbreaking image of an elephant carrying a deceased calf has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition.

Federico Veronesi from Italy was tracking elephants in the Huab River Valley, Namibia, when he came across an unusual pattern of drag marks in the sand of a dry riverbed. The source became clear when he caught up with a family group. A female emerged with the calf, its leg wedged between her tusk and trunk.

Behaviors centring on death have been observed in both Asian and African elephants, including vocalizations, guarding the dead, inspecting and handling bones, and carrying the deceased.

Some researchers suggest these behaviors could indicate an elephant’s journey to understanding death, while others interpret these actions as possible displays of grief.

Category Winners

An elephant sprays water from its trunk toward a group of zebras near a watering hole, while several giraffes stand in the background.
A young bull elephant sprays a group of zebra as they congregate in the Kenyan Chyulu Hills. Winner of the Animals in their Environment category. | Photo by James Lewin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A dense flock of yellow and black birds flies in front of a dark forest of thin, vertical tree trunks.
A slow shutter speed creates the illusion of trees still swathed in autumn foliage. Winner of the Natural Artistry category. | Photo by Michal Michalski / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Two large monitor lizards stand on grass near a lake, with one lizard eating a fish while a black bird watches nearby.
A common water monitor carrying its fish supper in a Bangkok park. Winner of the Urban Wildlife category. | Photo by Seth Forestson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A dung beetle pushes a large ball of dung across a sandy surface, with a small swarm of flies hovering nearby.
A dung beetle pushes its precious cargo. Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. | Photo by Oscar Whitfield / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A mountain lion rests its body across the top wire of a wooden fence in a vast, grassy field at sunset.
‘A warning sign’ The image records this scene of a dead puma amid the rugged, windswept beauty of Argentine Patagonia. Winner of the Photojournalism category. | Photo by Francisco Negroni / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Two shoebill storks stand in a marshy wetland, both holding clumps of aquatic vegetation in their beaks, with one bird spreading its large wings.
Two elusive shoebill storks among wetland vegetation in South Africa. Winner of the Behavior, Birds category. | Photo by Isak Pretorius / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A scorpion emerges from the sand with its tail arched upward, casting a shadow against a dark background.
A scorpion burrowing into one of the shifting dunes of the Thar Desert. Winner of the Behavior: Invertebrates category. | Photo by Sitaram Raul / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A large, dark, speckled moray eel swims against a black background, with a smaller eel visible near its midsection amidst a cloud of white particles.
A first-time glimpse into the mating ritual of Abbott’s moray eels. Winner of the Under Water category. | Photo by Tony Wu / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A causeway divides a body of water into two distinct sections, one vibrant pink and the other pale, reflecting the mountains and sky.
This image shows how a single engineered line can reshape an entire wetland. Winner of the Wetlands: The Bigger Picture category. | Photo by Alex Visbal / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
An aerial view at night shows a large, illuminated square fishing platform on the water with a small boat and a whale shark swimming nearby.
A whale shark investigating the catch of a ‘bagan’, or mobile net-fishing platform, in the inky waters off Papua, Indonesia. Winner of the Oceans: The Bigger Picture category. | Photo by Alex Lindbloom / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Clusters of mushrooms with dark, conical caps and bright yellow stems grow on a dark, mossy log in a forest.
An ultraviolet light reveals the glowing yellow stems of beautiful bonnet mushrooms growing from a decaying log. Winner of the Plants and Fungi category. | Photo by Agorastos Papatsanis / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
An octopus hides behind a large, translucent kelp leaf, with its eye and suction cups visible through the seaweed.
A common octopus behind a curtain of kelp in the waters off southwest England. Winner of the Animal Portraits category. | Photo by Aaron Sanders / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A newt clings to underwater plant stems while cradling a small cluster of eggs in its front limbs.
A California newt laying its eggs as it clasps vegetation that already holds another newt’s egg clutch. Winner of the Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles category. | Photo by Anton Sorokin / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The 62nd Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, will open on Friday, October 16, 2026, and run until Sunday, July 11, 2027. The exhibition will also embark on a U.K. and international tour to inspire millions to appreciate and conserve the natural world. Tickets are available here.

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