12 riveting wildlife images from Nature inFocus Photography Awards

In Kolsa, Tadoba, India, photographer Anirudh Laxmipathy catches the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that a powerful tigress named Kuwani lunges at an unsuspecting wild boar. At age 14, Kuwani still boasts impressive hunting skills and the boar doesn’t stand a chance.

Laxmipathy’s stunning image (seen above) took Special Mention honors in the Animal Behavior category of this year’s Nature inFocus Photography Awards. The competition drew a record-breaking 14,180 entries from 42 countries and awarded winners across multiple categories, including Animal Behaviour and Conservation Photography.

Supun Dilshan nabbed the prestigious title of Photographer of the Year Portfolio for his powerful series (two images seen below) documenting the struggles of Sri Lankan elephants. “It’s heartbreaking to see development at loggerheads with the places these wild animals call home,” Anish Andheria, President of Wildlife Conservation Trust, said in a statement. “Their habitat is already shrinking at an alarming rate due to multiple anthropogenic factors. But with the rise of linear infrastructure, especially in regions like India and Sri Lanka, we’re only going to see more of these come up. This is one of the greatest threats to wildlife today.”

To view the full gallery of wildlife images, visit Nature inFocus.