Kerry O'Connor, Ruby in the darkness & the whomping willow tree (ANIMAL & NATURE 2026)

Family from Newcastle came to Melbourne and our first day was spent at royal Melbourne zoo and we were surprised, delighted and somewhat apprehensive due to their trust of humans. They came to the bank then onto the land walking towards a group of tourists who started feeding them cake. I started talking to them and explained that wildlife have digestive systems different to ours and feeding our food can hurt them - even though we think we are helping them. I feel photography is a powerful platform to not only capture moments in time but a brilliant opportunity to communicate and educate. 2nd round of images - that tree has been here from before you born says Snape.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.