Photobombing giraffe among animal stars of unique Winchester comedy exhibition

ITV News Meridian's Stacey Poole has been to take a look at the exhibition. Photobombing giraffe taken by Brigitte Alcalay Marcon

Fed up with the weather? Need something to cheer you up? A photography exhibition in Winchester might just be the positive tonic we all need as it puts on a unique display.

The Gallery at The Arc is the first venue in the UK to display the finalists of The Comedy Wildlife Photography Award.

Since the awards were created in 2015, the competition to snap an animals enjoying the lighter side of life has gone global.

This year has seen over 3,500 entrants vying to win in nine categories which include mammals, birds, fish and insects.

From photo-bombing giraffes to a polar bear taking a photo, there's something to make you smile.

Tom Sullam, chair of the judging panel and competition director, said, "The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards undoubtedly portray animals in all their glorious, entertaining beauty - who couldn’t laugh out loud at an eagle looking through its back legs or a warthog’s bottom!

"But underlying this is a more serious message. We see the humour in the photographs as a way to engage people with the threats that these same animals face, and to understand animals and the issues that affect them we need to empathise with them as fellow inhabitants of the same planet."

Kirsty Rodda, visual exhibitions manager at Hampshire Cultural Trust, which manages and operates The Arc, said, "This is the first time that we’ve welcomed the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards to The Gallery, and we’re thrilled that Winchester will be the first place in the world to see the finalists – and in December, the winners – of this superb competition on public display."The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2024 exhibition runs until 8 January 2025.

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