Look: 10 jaw-dropping images reveal nature running wild in cities

concrete jungle Fancy seeing you here! by Jennifer Walter Updated: Feb. 20, 2024 Originally Published: June 30, 2022 Jill Finney via Picfair

Shutterstock When Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 halted the hustle and bustle of the world’s major cities, wild animals began to roam the streets in lieu of humans.

Photographers around the world captured images of deer in train stations and monkeys traversing empty crosswalks.

Brandon Z via Picfair This month, a photography contest honored some of the most notable shots of wildlife in urban settings.

Jill Finney via Picfair Hosted by the UK-based photography platform Picfair , the inaugural Urban Wildlife Photography Awards saw entries from 6,000 amateur and professional photographers.

Picfair is also selling prints of the winning works to benefit the conservation nonprofit Re:Wild.

Jill Finney via Picfair Four winners were selected for the top prizes, while 27 finalists were also recognized for their stunning work.

Leanne Hay via Picfair Here are 10 incredible finalists and winners:

10. A squirrel sunbathes in style against the San Francisco skyline.

Nicholas Bamberski via Picfair

9. On the back of a truck in London, this fox found some leftover chicken to snack on.

Martin Tosh via Picfair

8. A huge gulp of cormorants flies across the Toronto skyline at sunrise.

Leanne Hay via Picfair

7. Monkeys snatched a tasty snack from humans on Mount Batur, Indonesia.

6. Still as the statue itself, a lizard holds a pose in Miami.

Brandon Z via Picfair

5. A rainbow lorikeet spooks one of its friends as it joins them on a handrail in Queensland.

4. This flamingo feeds in an artificial salt pan outside of Caligari, Italy — a shot that won first place in the “Daylight” category of the contest.

Mano Aliczki via Picfair

3. The “Nighttime” category winner captured this rat peeking out of a sewer in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Austin Montero via Picfair

2. This trash panda from Toronto, Canada is the subject of the winning submission for the contest’s “Fancy Seeing You Here” category.

Jill Finney via Picfair

1. The all-around winner of the contest captured two coyotes on an empty road in Toronto.

Andrew Interisano via Picfair