Set your cameras to stunning.
Shutterbugs hoping to create a photographic memory of B.C.’s insects, invertebrates, amphibians and other animals have two days to submit their pictures to the SPCA’s eighth-annual wildlife photo contest.
The contest is meant to illustrate the “resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans,” according to Sara Dubois, B.C. SPCA’s chief scientific officer.
“Not everyone knows that these animals are actually in our backyard,” she says.
Besides the categories of Backyard Habitats and Wild Settings, this year’s contest also includes a People’s Choice Award, which allows nature lovers to vote for their favourite picture at a rate of $1 per vote. There is no limit on how many times anyone can vote.
The B.C. SPCA is hoping to raise $10,000 for their Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre in Victoria with the contest.
The centre’s staff of six treats close to 3,000 animals annually, Dubois notes. “We do everything from a small hummingbird up to a deer,” she says.
Many of the animals have suffered injuries related to car crashes or pollution, she says.
Some of the animals are strong enough to scamper or swim back into the wild after a brief period of care, but nearly one quarter are euthanized and approximately one third die within hours of admittance.
The lion’s share of the money raised through the photo contest will go towards food and medical care for the animals, according to Dubois.
With just a couple days until the contest closes, Dubois is expecting to see plenty of moving pictures.
“There’s always a big rush at the end,” Dubois says.
Now in its eighth year, the contest came about because so many amateur photographers would “just send us a photo randomly,” Dubois says.
After spending 15 years with the SPCA, Dubois says seeing the photos is one of the most enjoyable and sometimes illuminating parts of her job. Growing up on Vancouver Island, Dubois had never seen a porcupine in the wild until a photographer submitted a photo of the prickly rodent taken in his own backyard.
The entrants tend to be a mix of voracious photographers who take a walk on the wild side in search of a striking image and surprised amateurs who are struck by an image that would have escaped if not for a ready cellphone.
The contest is something of a morale builder for staff and volunteers at the B.C. SPCA, Dubois says.
“We treat 140 species of wildlife. We see them, unfortunately, in a really bad state when they come into our hospital. But being able to celebrate them in the wild … and seeing them at their best is really a wonderful thing for our staff to see.”
While the photographers retain the rights to the images, the B.C. SPCA often uses the picture to educate the public about the biodiversity that exists just a stone’s throw from their doorstep.
While Dubois is grateful for most every image the SPCA receives, she notes the contest is about capturing wildlife, which precludes cat photos, dog photos and zoo animals. (Although Dubois says she sometimes refers the particularly charming cat and dog photos to the SPCA’s calendar contest).
Drone photos will also be rejected and – with the exception of bird feeders – photographers aren’t permitted to coax animals with food.
Dubois says it’s often “pretty obvious” when animals are begging for food in a picture. “When they do have non-natural foods they can definitely get quite sick.”
Any image captured through the “wilful harassment of wildlife” can be disqualified.
Photographers must be at least 14 years old.
A team of professional photographers are slated to judge the pictures on their originality, technical excellence, composition, and artistic merit.
Photos can be submitted as late as 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. To enter the contest go to: gogophotocontest.com/bc-spca-wildlife-in-focus/login
