Anup earns his stripes

Jun 7 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

A STUNNING picture of stampeding African zebras – caught by a former Newcastle University academic – is part of a spectacular collection of the world’s best wildlife photographs which has gone on display at a North East visitor attraction.

Anup Shah’s dramatic, ant’s-eye image of the charging herd was shot using a remote camera system set up at a watering hole in the Serengeti area of Tanzania.

Anup, an economics lecturer, and his brother Manoj spent a year photographing the zebra herds and entered the photograph in the 2007 Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Today more than 100 of the most spectacular images from the competition go on show in the new workshop gallery at the Woodhorn Museum and Archives Centre near Ashington until September 7. Anup’s Zebra Crossing picture was one of 32,000 images from amateur and professional photographers in 78 countries entered for the competition, the most in its 43-year history. The judging panel spent three months deliberating over the record entries.

Yesterday Woodhorn director Keith Merrin said: “Zebra Crossing is a fantastic and exciting image and is the one we have been using to promote the exhibition.

“The quality of the photographs and the subject matter is breathtaking, and the images are just stunning. One of the great things with our new gallery is that it has the space to showcase a full exhibition of this size and really do it justice.

“As well as the photographs, children and their parents will be able to take part in wildlife-related activities in the gallery.”

Admission to the exhibition costs £2.50 for adults, £2 for concessions, £1 for children and £6 for a family ticket for four. Visitor inquiries on (01670) 528080.