Stephen Bowles, A mother's shadow (ANIMAL & NATURE 2024)

Once wombat joeys exit their mother's pouch, they are often joined at the hip until they are old enough to set off on their own. These two wombat mothers and their joeys are safe here in this field, but many are not so lucky. Many wombats venture out looking for their own territory or fresh food, which requires them to cross busy roads, and this often puts them at risk of road trauma.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.