Thomas Vijayan has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award organized by the London Natural History Museum. The photo that won him the award depicts a young langur monkey swinging on the tails of two adult monkeys. The monkey's face is lit up with joy, and the moment was captured beautifully. It's impossible to not crack a smile when beholding the monkey's genuine glee!
The photo was taken at Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, India, where Vijayan was visiting from his home in Canada. He hadn't come on the excursion looking for monkeys, though. "Big cats are my favorite subjects in photography. But on this particular day, when the safari was almost over with no sighting of any big cats, everyone was looking around hopefully. I saw a few langurs playing on a tree, and it struck me that there was a chance for a good photograph. While everyone else was waiting for the tigers, I came back with this mesmerising moment," said Vijayan, reported the Daily Mail.
Vijayan's photo won more than half the votes cast for the People's Choice Award. It was picked out of 25 photos that were selected by a panel that sorted through more than 42,000 submissions from all over the world, reported the Guardian.
"I am very much thankful to my mom's prayers and god's blessings for making this dream come true. I thank my family, relatives and my dearest friends for their prayers and the enormous support they always given," said Vijayan on his Facebook page.
The photo will be showcased at the London Natural History Museum until April 10 as part of the exhibition showcasing the museum's wildlife photography award winners.
