Somnath Dey, The king of the wild strides forward (ANIMALS 2025)

As the safari jeep rolled to a quiet stop under the vast Nairobi National Park night sky, the only sounds were the distant calls of hyenas and the rhythmic chirping of crickets. My breath hitched as a majestic lion stepped forward, his golden eyes locking onto mine. His muscles rippled beneath his tawny coat, illuminated faintly by the soft glow of our headlights. Each step he took was slow, deliberate—full of authority and mystery. After this photo I had to take a pause and make myself completely still , till he passed through our jeep.

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