A rare photograph of a brown hyena standing in a deserted town in Namibia has earned South African photographer Wim van den Heuwer the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 title.
Captured in the abandoned town of Kolmanskop, the image—titled Ghost Town Visitor—was described by the organisers as the result of a decade of effort and the strategic use of camera trap technology.
Selected from a total of 60,636 entries, the photograph features one of the world’s rarest hyena species. Brown hyenas are nocturnal and solitary by nature. The photographer installed camera traps in the area after spotting the animal’s tracks.
Jury member Kathy Moran said the image revealed how wildlife has begun to reclaim spaces once occupied by humans. She added that its setting in a ghost town created a haunting yet fitting atmosphere.
Another jury member, Akanksha Sood Singh, remarked that the image was a chilling but captivating combination.
In another category, Italian photographer Andrea Domenizzi won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 award. The award, open to photographers under the age of 17, was given for his image After the Destruction, which shows a longhorn beetle standing on abandoned timber machinery, gazing over the landscape.
Brazilian photographer Fernando Faciole was awarded the Impact Award.
This year, the jury selected 19 winning images across various categories. These photographs will be part of an exhibition opening on Friday at the Natural History Museum in London.
