WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY

A collection of exquisite still photographs of wild fauna is the pride of Benny Ajantha, second-prize winner of this year’s wildlife photography contest conducted by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department.This 42-year-old professional photographer had hit the headlines when he shot the picture of a male elephant, which was reportedly a Pygmy elephant believed to be extinct, with his Canon-1DX camera in the Peppara reserve forests in March 2010.

Benny told  that his photographic expedition in the Peppara forests, guided by Mallan Kani, a tribesman, was an unforgettable experience. It was Mallan Kani who had identified the animal as ‘Kallana’ (Pygmy Elephant), he said.A fully grown Pygmy Elephant will only attain a height of 5.5 feet. This animal can run unbelievably fast through dense forests, he said.

Award-winning shot

A sun bird, about to drink nectar from wild flowers and the ‘threat’ posed to it by a hornet in the Konni forest was what brought home this year’s photography award to Benny.“It was by sheer luck that I saw the hornet humming in the air, facing the sun bird, while panning my camera fitted with a 600-mm zoom lens,” Benny said.This photographer had travelled extensively in the forests of India, especially South India. Spending at least two days in the forest a month was a habit now, he said.A ferocious leopard attacking a man in the Angamoozhi forests in February, bear, and the fight between two tigers at Bandipur are breathtaking stills in Benny’s collection.Different kinds of eagles, birds, monkeys, reptiles, and other animals form the complete album.The award will be presented to the winners by Forest Minister K.B. Ganesh Kumar at a function at Kumili on Monday. Mohanan Kizhakkumpurathu from Kodungalloor and Rajendran S. from Pathanapuram shared the first and third prizes respectively.

Prof. John Kurakar