Sam Rowley

Incredible Photo Of Mice Fighting On London Subway Platform Goes Viral

Since 1965, the Natural History Museum in London has held the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Thousands of photographers from around the world submit their entries, but only 100 of those photos get chosen for the museum's exhibition.

You may have already seen some of the winning photos that were announced in October 2019.

The Overall Winner was a photo called "The Moment" by Yongqing Bao and made the rounds of social media for how it perfectly freeze-framed a marmot being startled by a fox.

But for those images not chosen, there is a second chance: the LUMIX People's Choice Award.

From the remaining submissions (approx. 48,000 were received for 2019), the museum selects a new shortlist of 25 photos to be voted on by the public.

This year's winner is an incredible photo, called "Station Squabble", of two mice duking it out on a subway platform.

Photographer Sam Rowley spent five nights camped out in London stations to get the perfect image of the common sight for local commuters.

He said: "I am so pleased to win this award. It's been a lifetime dream to succeed in this competition in this way, with such a relatable photo taken in such an everyday environment in my hometown. I hope it shows people the unexpected drama found in the most familiar of urban environments."

Just how common? Enough that one person was able to respond to the win with a video of a similar incident.

It's the fight to survive in an urban environment that fascinated Rowley:

"These mice only know the constant roar of trains and perpetual darkness. Most won't have ever seen daylight or felt grass under their feet.

"The tunnels are a desperate place to live if they need to have a boxing match over a tiny little crumb."

h/t: National History Museum

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