David Lloyd's Image

David Lloyd (New Zealand/UK) waits, ready with his camera, to capture the hyena leaving with its meal.

David’s challenge was to create a memorable image of a familiar animal in a much-photographed location - Kenya’s Maasai Mara. The low angle separated out his subject from the grass, and using black and white he highlighted the striking combination of shapes, spots and stripes.

He took the photo on an inverted monopod, held low in the grass out of the window of his vehicle, anticipating the angle that the hyena would carry off its trophy. With a feeding frenzy surrounding the pack’s latest prey - a plains zebra - the hyena had grabbed the severed head and broke away to eat in peace.

A scrum of spotted hyenas can devour a zebra in less than 30 minutes. They’re good hunters as well as scavengers, with jaws powerful enough to crush large skulls and stomachs that can digest bones. As a result of their diet, their droppings are so mineral rich that they’re chalky white.