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
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 YearA 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 YearA 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 YearA dung beetle pushes its precious cargo. Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. | Photo by Oscar Whitfield / Wildlife Photographer of the Year‘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 YearTwo elusive shoebill storks among wetland vegetation in South Africa. Winner of the Behavior, Birds category. | Photo by Isak Pretorius / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA 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 YearA 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 YearThis 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 YearA 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 YearAn 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 YearA 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 YearA 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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