A Caerphilly photographer has been highly commended for his work.
Andy Rouse’s photograph of Akarevuro, a young mountain gorilla, has earned him high praise in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The photograph, called ‘Making an Impression’ is among 108 images hand-picked by a jury of industry-recognised experts from a pool of almost 41,000 entries received from 95 countries.
The picture captures the moment when the gorilla charged at Andy and his companions in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
It had taken a couple of hours’ trekking to reach the gorilla band, which is led by Akarevuro’s father, Kwitonda.
Andy said: “The group was very chilled. Kwitonda ate peacefully, and Akarevuro was hanging
out with some females in a clearing.”
It was at this moment that Akarevuro suddenly rushed towards the group of humans.
Andy added: “Dense vegetation prevented us from moving back. Akarevuro stopped a few
metres away from us, squatted on all fours and remained like that for several minutes to make his point.
“Akarevuro was simply out to impress one of the receptive females. And it worked – a little later, we saw him mating.”
The image will feature in the critically acclaimed photographic showcase consisting of winning,
runner-up and commended photographers that makes its début at the Natural History Museum
on October 21, before beginning a national and international tour.