TORONTO -- Are you a fan of seeing farting penguins, waving dragonflies and rabbits fighting?
Well, even if you’re not, you might want check out the 40 hilarious finalists for the 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, an annual competition aimed at helping spread a conservation message.
Photographers Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam created the worldwide photo competition back in 2015, as a way to showcase “funny images of the earth’s most amazing wildlife,” according to a press release.
Joynson-Hicks said that since beginning the competition, which is open to any photographer around the world, contenders keep raising the bar each year.
“Whether it’s a very naughty penguin (which had my kids rolling around the floor in hysterics) or dancing lions, a chillin’ chimp or even bee-eaters having a shouting match– they’re hysterical,” he said in the release.
This year, other notable photos include a bear with the morning blues, braying zebras, a messy deer, a happy-go-lucky snowy owl and yes, a rhino relieving himself on a bird.
'Holly Jolly' by Vicki Jauron (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)
Competition finalist Eric Fisher's 'Monday Morning Blues.' (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)
The awards website explains that the overall winner and category winners will be announced on Nov. 13. People can also vote for the competition’s Affinity Photo People's Choice Award.
The top prize is a one-week safari in Kenya.
But there is a loftier goal behind the awards. “The competition aims to highlight the extremely important message of wildlife conservation,” the release stated, explaining that organizers are partnering with the U.K.-based charity, The Born Free Foundation.
Besides its educational mandate, the organization also fights to crack down on animal abuse, captive wild animal exploitation and trophy hunting.
Joynson-Hicks stressed that people can be conservationists at home by restricting water use and shopping responsibility. This includes avoiding the purchase of palm oil, which come from plantations that are often established at the expense of rainforests.
Competition finalist Eric Keller's 'Inconspicuous.' (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)
Finalist Kevin Sawford's 'Hello.' (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)
Finalist James Vodicka's 'Excuse Me.' (Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards)
