Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

The silent victory of wildlife

A brown hyena in a long-abandoned diamond mining village in Kolmanskop, Namibia.

The most rare species of hyena are brown, nocturnal and solitary hyenas. It's hard to see them. It has also taken the photographer Wim van den Heever ten years since he found the footprints of these hyenas in Kolmanskop to be able to take this photo with a camera trap.

This photograph was the winner of the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year photography competition organised by the Natural History Museum in London. In the words of the jury, “this image is a multilayered story of decadence, resilience and the silent triumph of nature; and therefore it is an unforgettable piece of wildlife photography and conservation.”

Below are some of the photographs that have stood out in the contest.