fluorescent UV – A winning environmental photo shows a green sea turtle with a glowing handprint revealed under ultraviolet light, pointing to new forensic techniques that could strengthen rare prosecutions against illegal wildlife trade.
When a green sea turtle arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport and was later confiscated, the case didn’t just move through hands and paperwork. It became a forensic puzzle—one that could now be used to identify criminals behind illegal wildlife trade.
The image. titled “Handprint on Sea Turtle” by Britta Jaschinski. won the overall prize in this year’s Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Environmental Photography Award.. It shows the turtle (Chelonia mydas) with a fluorescent handprint that only appears under ultraviolet light after treatment with a special powder dye. turning a routine trace into a potential piece of evidence.
Jaschinski says the dead turtle was transported to the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL) Wildlife Forensic Lab. where investigators and researchers are developing techniques to change what she describes as a grim reality: prosecutions for wildlife crimes are rare.. The reason is not a lack of harm.. Illegal trade in live and dead animals funds crime and political corruption. threatens biodiversity. and can even help disease spread between animals and humans. raising pandemic risk.. “Beyond environmental harm,” Jaschinski said, “the illegal wildlife trade fuels organised crime and poses risks to people.”
At the ZSL Wildlife Forensic Lab. Alexandra Thomas and Louise Gibson are working on methods that could make those rare prosecutions more likely by capturing details that leave few traces in ordinary lighting.. Under UV, certain chemicals can reveal blood and other bodily fluids.. The same approach can also disclose gunpowder residues, giving forensic teams more angles to test when investigating poaching and trafficking.
But the photo’s strongest suspense sits in what remains withheld. Jaschinski notes that while the handprint is visible in the final picture, the specific details of how it was left on the turtle—and by whom—are “highly confidential.”
The award itself has also been framed around how crimes are documented.. Sergio Pitamitz. a conservation photographer who chaired the prize. said in his announcement that Jaschinski’s approach “avoids graphic or sensational imagery. ” focusing instead on photographs that communicate clearly to a wide audience.
The year’s winners extended beyond the turtle, underscoring how different ecosystems are now being watched through a conservation lens.. In the ocean category. Henley Spiers took the top prize for a wedge-tailed shearwater (Ardenna pacifica) diving into what looked like a football pitch-sized school of lanternfish.. The bird surfaced without catching anything before circling back for another dive.
Lanternfish, which are thought to be the most numerous vertebrates on Earth, account for up to 65 per cent of deep-sea fish biomass.
In the polar regions category, Vadim Makhorov won for a photograph of Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens).. Makhorov’s image was captured on Ratmanov Island, also known as Big Diomede, the easternmost part of Russia.. He described the setting as one where the entire southern coastline is occupied by walruses—mostly males—while females come ashore only during the breeding season.. Males can reach up to 4 metres in length and weigh as much as 1.5 tonnes.
The changemaker category runner-up went to Maud Delaflotte, whose image showed black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens).. The concept behind the selection is that feeding insect protein to farmed animals could be a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional sources like fishmeal and soya.
illegal wildlife trade wildlife forensics ultraviolet light sea turtle Chelonia mydas ZSL Wildlife Forensic Lab fluorescent powder dye poaching Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation environmental photography award 2026 lanturnfish wedge-tailed shearwater Pacific walruses black soldier flies Hermetia illucens