Sri Lankans shine at ‘Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photography Awards 2024’

Three Sri Lankan photographers made headlines with their remarkable captures at the prestigious ‘Sanctuary Asia Wildlife Photography Awards 2024’, showcasing the beauty and challenges of wildlife through their lenses.  

Tharindu Dilshan Sendanayake Wins First Prize

Sri Lanka’s Tharindu Dilshan Sendanayake claimed the coveted first prize with his breathtaking photograph titled ‘Primal Fury’, taken at Yala National Park. The image vividly captures a dramatic life-or-death struggle between a dominant Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) and a wild pig (Sus scrofa affinis), creating a masterpiece reminiscent of a Renaissance painting. The intense scene unfolds as the leopard, startled mid-mating, defends itself against the charging wild pig. 

This extraordinary depiction of the wild earned Tharindu a grand prize of INR 150,000.

-Ada Derena