John Bean, "Devil on The Brink" (Wildlife and Animal 2017)

Tasmanian Devils are so unique to our Country and Tasmania specifically: Marsupial, rear facing pouch with joeys suspended by the nipple, powerful build, fearful cry, aggressive reputation, and scarring from tribal conflict. They also have been accused of raiding chicken runs and settlers’ stock generally. But over the decades we have become very attached to them, especially since their numbers have deteriorated rapidly due to the dreaded facial tumour disease. Are they in danger of extinction still? Some specialist breeders are reservedly confident our Devils could be developing their own resistance to the disease. Let’s hope so. Photographically they have amazing monochrome tones, blacks and whites, along with single colour radiance where their ears can glow red when back lit by the sun. They also display a playful disposition as joeys, and can become attached to humans like puppies and dogs (which they are not). May they not go the way of their cousins the Thylacines. Photos taken with support of Trowunna Wildlife Park, Mole Creek, Tasmania. Equipment Nikon D810 and Nikon D800, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f2.8G ED, Sigma 50-500mm f4-f6.3, all hand held. Post production in Lightroom: dodge and burn, cropping, vignetting, and adjustments to exposure, contrast, clarity, and saturation.

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