The Wonders of Urban Wildlife

Wildlife Photography Award: Sam Rowley’s, “Station Squabble”

On February 12, a photograph of two mice sparring in a tube station won the London Natural History Museum’s People's Choice Award for best wildlife photograph. Selected from over 48,000 images, this photo is not of an exotic animal in an exotic land, but rather of two mice in an underground tube station. I cannot stop staring at it.

The whimsy of the scene lies in its ordinariness; these two mice are engaged in a physical altercation, akin to what one might see from drunks at any pub. Perched upon wobbly legs, fighting over a scrap of food, we can almost hear their anthropomorphic exchanges. Straphangers have always considered our rat and mice populations with scorn, yet we forget that these resilient underground residents are crucial parts of urban wildlife. 

Within the subway system, humans and nature rarely meet. But Sam Rowley, the young photographer of “Station Squabble”, aims to heighten awareness of this relationship and to change our perception of wildlife photography: “I think it’s very important to get people to love local wildlife, and for many people that is urban wildlife. If you can’t get people to love local nature, how can you expect them to be interested in the plight of endangered species elsewhere in the world?” 

 Mostly, I love this photo for its relatability. While most contest submissions depict exotic animals in faraway places, Rowley’s photo depicts two sparring mice in the unglamorous London Underground. Michael Dixon, the director of London’s Natural History Museum, states of the photo: “This image reminds us that while we may wander past it every day, humans are inherently intertwined with the nature that is on our doorstep - I hope it inspires people to think about and value this relationship more.” I, for one, will elevate our urban critters into wildlife matinee idols.