A tragic image of a black rhino with its horn hacked off has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.
Photojournalist Brent Stirton won for his image “Memorial to a Species”, taken at a game reserve in South Africa.
During the prize-giving ceremony at the Natural History Museum, judge Roz Kidman Cox said: "To make such a tragic scene almost majestic in its sculptural power deserves the highest award.
"There is rawness, but there is also great poignancy and therefore dignity in the fallen giant.
"It's also symbolic of one of the most wasteful, cruel and unnecessary environmental crimes, one that needs to provoke the greatest public outcry."
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 - In pictures
Black rhinos have been a critically endangered species since 1996. The mammals are slaughtered in huge numbers for their horns, which can be worth more than their weight in gold in illegal international markets.
The one in the image by Mr Stirton had recently been shot and de-horned when he took its photo.
The photojournalist beat almost 50,000 entries from 92 countries.
His image will be displayed alongside 99 other photographs at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which opens on Friday 20 October at the Natural History Museum.
The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 award was given to Daniel Nelson for his portrait of a lowland gorilla from the Republic of Congo lounging on the forest floor eating a breadfruit.
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