Wild Wonders of Europe photographer Nuno Sá managed to take sensational photos of the critically endangered Monk Seal Monachus monachus - the World’s most endangered seal species!

Thanks to great support from Madeira Islands and with a special permit from Parque Natural da Madeira, he was allowed to dive with the seals in their natural habitat.  “In the end the seals approached me - it was absolutely amazing!” reports Nuno.

The current population of the Monk Seal is estimated at fewer than 600 individuals in the Mediterranean.  Major threats are loss and deterioration of habitat, accidental entanglement in fishing nets, killing by fishermen who regard them as a pest and shrinking food sources due to overfishing.

See the blog by Nuno Sá on the Wild Wonders website or visit the Monachus-Guardian for more info.

Win an exclusive photo mission to Alladale estate, Scotland!  A great chance to win a winter photo trip to Alladale and the Cairngorms National Park with great opportunities to photograph red deer and other highland wildlife.

This is YOUR chance! Don’t miss it!  Upload your best images of European nature and wildlife to the Wild Wonders of Europe Online Photo competition. And make sure you stick to the rules!  May the best pictures win!  For more information, check the competition pages on our website.

Congratulations to our August competition winners:  Piotr Szpakowski (House Sparrows), Zsolt Palankai (Speed), Balasz Liska (Passion) and Marcus Valeur (Trying to Gain Height)!  Check out their winning images below:

There are more winning images to see in our gallery.  Try yourself and upload your best nature photographs from Europe to our competition and win fabulous prizes.

These small “appetiser exhibits“ of what will come later, in 2010, will be shown at:

One of the most internationally respected nature photo festivals in Europe, the GDT festival, will see its 17th revival in Luenen from 23-25 October 2009. 

Wild Wonders of Europe Dream Team members Sandra Bartocha & Claudia Mueller (Germany), Dietmar Nill (Germany), Jari Peltomäki (Finland), Milán Radisics (Hungary), Manuel Presti & Stefano Unterthiner (Italy) will show some world-class photography, together with National Geographic Photographers Joel Sartore & Paul Nicklen and many other great visual artists.  Make sure you book your tickets in time for 2010, when "The Great Wild Show“ by Wild Wonders of Europe will be on in Luenen!

Supported by Nikon, an exhibition will feature some of the best work from Wild Wonders of Europe as a sneak preview of the Great Outdoor Exhibition which will start touring through Europe next year.  Exhibitions and slide-shows will attract more than 30.000 visitors from 19-22 November 2009. Check the festival’s website to find out more!