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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe prize-winning photograph by Dutch biologist and photojournalist Michiel van Noppen shows an older, GPS-collared Baird’s tapir named Mamita reaching for fruit on a Jícaro Danto tree, while a younger tapir, Julian, stands nearby. The image is part of Tales of the forest keepers: Safeguarding a fragile bond, which won the 2026 Fritz Pölking Prize. Its subject is more than a striking wildlife encounter: tapirs disperse the tree’s seeds, linking the animals’ survival to the health of the forest around them.
What the photograph shows
In the frame, Mamita stretches up to feed on fruit hanging from a Jícaro Danto tree; Julian stays close by. The tree, adult tapir, youngster and surrounding forest are all visible, making the relationship between the animals and their habitat part of the picture rather than mere background. Digital Camera World’s Tom May reads the composition as an intergenerational scene. The idea that Mamita is teaching Julian to survive is the project’s interpretive framing, not something a still image can independently prove. Digital Camera World’s feature identifies the animals and describes the image.
Why tapirs and the Jícaro Danto depend on each other
The Jícaro Danto (Parmentiera valerii) is endemic to the Guanacaste Mountain Range in Costa Rica. Baird’s tapirs eat its fruit and disperse its seeds in their dung. The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) and van Noppen’s project describe the tapir as the tree’s only or exclusive seed disperser. That makes the relationship consequential: losing tapirs can disrupt the tree’s regeneration, while damage to forest habitat puts both species under pressure.
Digital Camera World reported in 2026 that around 600 Jícaro Danto trees are thought to remain in the wild. Van Noppen describes the population estimates as rough and says the exact number is unknown, so this figure should be understood as an attributed estimate, not a census. The GDT describes Baird’s tapir as a threatened species; Digital Camera World calls it the largest native land mammal in Central America. The GDT’s award page and the photographer’s project page set out the ecological connection.
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What threatens the forest and its tapirs
The project points to forest fragmentation and deforestation as pressures on this habitat. When forest is broken into smaller areas, wildlife may face greater risks where natural habitat meets human land use. The GDT and van Noppen also identify screwworm infection as a threat to tapirs, including where livestock and wildlife share fragmented landscapes. The sources describe these as conservation concerns, not as quantified population-wide rates.
Van Noppen documents responses that connect fieldwork with local participation: monitoring and GPS-collaring tapirs, propagating Jícaro Danto seedlings, involving communities, and taking road-safety measures intended to reduce vehicle collisions. Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, which the photographer and Digital Camera World describe as covering more than 100 hectares, adjoins Tenorio Volcano National Park.
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How the wide frame carries the story
Tom May’s feature draws attention to how the composition guides the eye: fruit appears near the top of the trunk, Mamita feeds in the middle of the frame, and Julian is positioned at lower left. The trunk connects these elements, while the wider view retains the forest setting. This is an editorial reading of the photograph, not a claim about a camera test. The framing makes ecological context visible alongside the animals, unlike a close crop focused only on fur or facial detail.
Camera and lens used for the photograph
Digital Camera World reports that van Noppen made the photograph with a Nikon D3100 and a Sigma 10–20mm f/4–5.6 EX DC HSM lens set to 18mm, equivalent to 27mm on a full-frame camera. The reported exposure was 1/200 sec at f/8 and ISO 800, using manual exposure. The D3100 is an older 14-megapixel APS-C DSLR launched as an entry-level model in 2010; this equipment note identifies the kit used for this frame, not a current buying recommendation.
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What the 2026 Fritz Pölking Prize recognizes
The GDT’s official results name van Noppen, from the Netherlands, as the 2026 Fritz Pölking Prize winner for Tales of the forest keepers: Safeguarding a fragile bond. The GDT and Tecklenborg-Verlag award the prize for outstanding photographic work; eligible submissions include nature-photography stories and portfolios. The GDT says the prize has been awarded 19 times since Fritz Pölking’s death in 2007. Digital Camera World separately says it was established in 2008; those are distinct descriptions of the award’s history.
In the GDT’s official jury commentary, Hanneke Van Camp said: “Together, they demonstrate precisely what conservation photography can achieve: making the complex interactions between species visible, drawing on scientific findings and the knowledge of local communities, and revealing both the challenges and possible solutions for the successful coexistence of people and nature.” Digital Camera World reported that van Noppen was due to be honored at the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 ceremony during the International Nature Photography Festival on 23 October 2026.
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