RUNNER-UP, NATURE, WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION PORTFOLIO
Sam Turley, UK, taken in the Wild is Life Sanctuary, Harare, Zimbabwe
“Mateo carries Marimba in his backpack while he transports her to the best foraging spots for ants and termites. Marimba, a ground pangolin, was around a year old when her mother was poached for her scales. Marimba was simply too young to fend for herself and so the decision was made to take her to Wild is Life sanctuary in Harare, Zimbabwe, where she met her full time carer Mateo.
“Pangolins are notoriously difficult to look after in captivity, requiring particular and personal care. Mateo’s gentle nature seemed like a perfect fit, and a remarkable relationship was born. Marimba and Mateo have spent ten hours a day together for the past 13 years, and it shows – they are inseparable. Many attempts have been made to rewild Marimba, but she always finds a way back to Mateo who refers to her as his last born child”.