Photo of a fox cub at Leeds Castle won first prize in a European competition

Robert Kanis Little fox illuminated by a beam of light at night. — Mr Kanis photographs Kent’s wildlife

A photograph of a fox taken at dawn in the grounds of Leeds Castle in Kent has won first prize in an international competition.

The photo, taken by Robert Kanis, won first place in the Mammals category of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which received nearly 18,000 entries from more than 30 countries.

This is his third time participating in the competition organized by the German Society for Nature Photography.

Mr Kanis said: “To say I was a little surprised and certainly excited would be an understatement!”

The winning photograph is entitled “Twilight Wanderer”.

Robert Kanis The little fox is in the center and stands in the dim light on a hill surrounded by trees in the forest. The sky is dark blue and can be seen slightly through the tree branches. — The winning photograph is entitled “Twilight Wanderer”.

It took Kanis a full day to set up the cameras and he returned every three to five days to check them.

He found a photograph that caught his eye “two weeks and several visits later”, taken as part of a six-year project documenting the “natural history” of Leeds Castle.

The competition had nine categories and was judged by a panel of judges that included National Geographic senior photo editor Alexa Keefe.

Mr. Kanis hoped that people would gain a better appreciation of the natural world through his photographs.

“I took photographs to share experiences and make people care more about the natural world,” he said.

“The location for photography can be anywhere,” he added, noting that “the best places for photography are where you live.”

Mr Kanis won €800 (£664.60) in prize money.