Critter Chaos: Record-Breaking 10,000 Animals Compete to Lose Their Dignity

The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards reached a major milestone for its 2026 competition, receiving more than 10,000 entries for the first time in its history. 

A decade after its founding, the record-breaking pool of submissions brought in hilarious animal shenanigans from photographers across 112 countries. The competition has narrowed the field down to a shortlist of finalists – including 40 individual entries, 3 under-16 entries, 4 portfolios, and 9 videos – all competing for the grand prize of an African safari in Kenya's Masai Mara. 

The overall winner, category winners and Highly Commended entries will be announced at an awards ceremony in London, UK on December 08, 2026. 

Alongside the awards, a free exhibition showing the work of the finalists will take place at Gallery@Oxo in the city from December 09–13. A related exhibition of past Comedy Wildlife award winners is also currently on at Frameless running until January 2027.

Co-founders Tom Sullam and Paul Joynson-Hicks noted that hitting this milestone proves how powerful humor can be in driving empathy and awareness for global wildlife conservation. 

I'm not going to feature the shortlisted photos that capture nature's lighter side – only the nine that have really caught my attention: 

Sexy Mantis

Location: Camanti in the Quispicanchi Province of the Cusco Region in southeastern Peru

Photographer description: A tiny green mantis peeks over a leaf during a night walk in an area of Cusco, Peru, that is still waiting to be protected. 

At first, the mantis seems to be sunbathing, or perhaps striking a rather glamorous pose. But there is also a small visual trick: half of the insect is hidden behind the leaf. Its hind legs disappear from view and, suddenly, its enormous forelegs begin to look almost like a pair of human legs. 

Elvis

Location: Pantanal, Brazil

Photographer description: This caiman emerged from the water in an area with a lot of floating vegetation, and part of it remained on its head. It resembles a 1950s rock and roll hairstyle.

The DNA Doesn't Lie

Location: Borneo jungle 

Photographer description: A wild orangutan in the rainforests of Borneo appears to deliver a perfectly timed gesture toward the camera. As he finishes a meal with one finger extended, it creates the unmistakable impression that he is flipping off the lens. 

Though entirely coincidental, the moment captures an almost unsettling reflection of ourselves in one of our closest relatives.

Nectar and Chill: Inside a Sunbird’s Five-Star Spa

Location: Vietnam 

Photographer description: On a gentle sunlit afternoon, a little sunbird excitedly set off for a five-star spa deep in the forest. From afar, he spotted a “natural bathtub” – a bright red banana blossom, filled with cool water and plenty of sweet nectar. He landed on the blossom and savored the sweet nectar. After his treat, he hopped into the “tub” and began enjoying the refreshing, cool water.

Did I Sleep Past My Alarm?

Location: Curaçao, part of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea

Photographer description: Behind the comical face is a story of extreme underwater patience. This blenny in Curaçao was hidden inside a tiny, camouflaged tube on the reef, and it opened its mouth to feed for a split second. To transform this moment into a highly precise wildlife encounter, it took multiple targeted dives. 

Exact timing was crucial to catch the fish’s sharp expression within its natural environment, showing that the smallest ocean residents often have the biggest personalities.

Chameleon Smash!

Location: Senegal 

Photographer description: This Senegal chameleon looked less like a reptile and more like a tiny green action hero in this shot. 

The Morning Wave 

Location: Stoke-on-Trent, UK 

Photographer description: This sleepy damselfly had slowly climbed a blade of grass, so I gently placed it on a leaf for one last portrait. Instead of posing politely, it disappeared behind the leaf, popped its head through a readymade window, and as I pressed the shutter ... gave me a cheerful wave. Clearly, someone wanted the last laugh!

Doris Digs the Floral Look

Location: Lake Kumana, inside Kumana National Park on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka

Photographer description: An Asian water buffalo surfaces from Lake Kumana, Sri Lanka, wearing a bonnet of flowers.

"When this water buffalo lifted her head up, it looked like she had a fancy bonnet on so we called her Doris!" 

Hair Check Before the Family Photo

Location: Namibia

Subject: Three meerkats posing together, with one meerkat giving a last-minute grooming inspection to the others.

Shredding for the Salmon Run

Location: Alaska, USA

Subject: A female brown bear was captured appearing to do her morning exercises around Lake Clark in Alaska, US. Her workout routine included some bicycle kicks as she appeared to get herself ready for the summer season.  

Ghosts of the Past: Germany is Weaponizing

German militarism is underway. 

Over the past few months, a noticeable surge in reports has highlighted Germany’s growing obsession with missiles – spanning ballistic, cruise, land-based, and sea-based systems. 🚀🚀🚀

Berlin is pulling in various international partners for this initiative, including the US, Ukraine, Türkiye, and Israel. It increasingly appears that Germany intends to funnel its entire defense focus into procurement, aiming to become Western Europe's dominant missile power. 

Berlin’s financial commitment to expanding its military programs has reached unprecedented levels. The country is rapidly ramping up defense spending to reshape its industrial landscape. 

Between 2024 and 2025, approximately 200 new defense companies emerged in Germany, with another 100 appearing since late 2025. 

A striking example of this boom is Rheinmetall, which has dramatically scaled its artillery ammunition production from a mere 70,000 units to 1.5 million shells per year. Over the next six years, the defense giant plans to invest roughly €30 billion ($34 billion) into arms and munitions manufacturing alone. 

Furthermore, Germany is aggressively seeking to procure ready-made missile systems while simultaneously establishing joint domestic production facilities. Aligned with these initiatives, Berlin is forming new ground forces explicitly designed to strike military targets deep within foreign territory – essentially creating a dedicated missile troop branch within the Bundeswehr. 

On one hand, this rapid expansion is framed as a way to enhance NATO’s strike capabilities, allowing for flexible responses over thousands of kilometers. On the other hand, developing such potent offensive capabilities can easily cultivate ambitions of military dominance and hegemony – a dangerous path Germany has historically walked before. 😎😎😎

Germany’s primary justification for this massive military buildup is, of course, the need to deter a "threat from the East". 😂😂😂

But this is history repeating itself.  

The fact that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO doesn’t seem to matter; it serves as a convenient excuse and a rallying cry to ramp up militarism. 

I daresay, Germany is preparing for war!

Urban Landscapes Reimagined

Street art is a dynamic form of visual expression that transforms public spaces. 

Driven by raw creativity, it breaks free from the traditional confines of museums and galleries, making art accessible to everyone. Artists use cities as their canvas, turning ordinary brick walls, sidewalks, and abandoned buildings into powerful statements.

At the heart of street art is an explosion of vivid colors and diverse techniques. From massive, multi-story murals and intricate stencil work to spray-painted graffiti and wheatpasted posters, it demands attention. 

These bold colors do more than just beautify concrete; they evoke deep emotions, spark community conversations, and challenge social norms. 

By blending personal imagination with public environments, street art breathes new life, energy, and cultural identity into urban landscapes worldwide.

Botswana Culls Elephants for 60th Boipuso

Botswana has faced criticism from animal rights activists after authorities authorised the killing of 23 elephants to provide meat for the country's 60th independence celebrations. 

The southern African nation, which is home to the world's largest elephant population, marked its 60th anniversary of self-rule (Diamond Jubilee) on September 30, commemorating the historic milestone, called Boipuso locally.

According to the BBC, a licence issued by Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism allows 23 elephants and other wild animals to be hunted for what the authorities describe as "complimentary purposes". 

The decision has sparked concern among wildlife protection groups. Oaitse Nawa, chairperson of the Botswana-based Elephant Protection Society, told the BBC that the African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) needed greater protection. 

He warned that using elephants for celebratory feasts could send the wrong message about wildlife protection and may encourage poaching by making the killing of elephants appear acceptable when it is officially sanctioned. 

"Elephants have lost their social structures because they are always being pushed from one place to another by gunshots", Nawa said. 

The BBC also reported that some people in Botswana have raised concerns about eating game meat during an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Authorities have introduced measures to control the spread of the disease. 

Tshenatshe Monwela, an elder from Maun, said his community should have been given buffalo instead. He argued that elephants have important cultural and environmental value and said Botswana's record of protecting wildlife should have been considered when deciding which animals would be used for the celebrations. 

The twenty-three elephants were allocated across eight districts. It was not immediately clear how many had been killed by Wednesday morning. 

Local media reports showed residents gathering around elephant carcasses and collecting meat. In some areas, people were seen using knives to cut meat directly from the animals. 

In the Chobe district, a local lawmaker raised concerns after residents reportedly collected meat from an elephant carcass at a school. 

MP Simasiku Mapulanga said the distribution could create problems for elderly people, pregnant women and people with disabilities. He suggested that the meat should instead be processed into smaller packages to improve hygiene and make distribution more orderly. 

Elephant meat is eaten in some wildlife-rich communities, particularly when meat from legal hunts is distributed locally. However, it is not considered an everyday staple across Botswana. 

The country's laws also place strict controls on game meat, with possession generally requiring proof that the meat came from a legal hunt. 

The controversy has revived a long-running debate over how Botswana should manage its large elephant population. 

Botswana has more than 130,000 elephants. Communities living close to wildlife areas have frequently complained about elephants damaging crops and property, while some people have also been killed in encounters with the animals. 

The government have defended regulated hunting as a way to manage the elephant population and reduce conflict between people and wildlife. Officials also say hunting generates money for conservation and development in local communities. 

Botswana banned trophy hunting in 2014 under former president Ian Khama. The ban was lifted five years later under his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi. Hunting has continued under President Duma Boko, who took office after winning the 2024 election. 

The government say revenue from hunting is used to support conservation and local development. Environment and Tourism Minister Wynter Mmolotsi told parliament last year that special elephant hunting quotas generated 15.6 million pula, worth about $1.1 million, in 2025 for projects in areas where elephants are found.

However, conservation groups continue to question whether the level of hunting is sustainable. 

Supporters of Botswana's hunting policy argue that international criticism does not always reflect the difficulties faced by rural communities living alongside large elephant populations. They say elephants can destroy crops and infrastructure and pose a danger to people as their habitat increasingly overlaps with farms and settlements.  

Worst Ebola Outbreak in DRC's History Kills Over 4,000

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has now killed more than 4,000 people, according to government data, making it the worst epidemic in the country’s history. 

Figures released on Friday showed that the death toll has risen to 4,018, and confirmed cases had ⁠reached 8,300 across seven provinces, as the government continues to struggle to contain the outbreak.

Weak infrastructure, the remoteness of the region in eastern DRC, and ongoing conflict with armed groups near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda have hindered efforts to respond to cases quickly and effectively.

The United Nations reported on Friday that sSloldiers searching for weapons burned down an Ebola transit center inside a displacement camp earlier this week. The incident occurred at the Kigonze camp on the outskirts of Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, forcing 19,000 residents to flee. 

The UN warned that this destruction has severely crippled disease control efforts, stating: “The enormous challenge of halting the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo just became even harder after a key transit center for patients requiring treatment burned down”.

“The enormous challenge of halting the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) just became even harder after a key transit centre for patients requiring treatment burned down in Ituri province”, the UN said.

People’s mistrust and anger towards health workers and authorities have also contributed to the obstacles the government face in their efforts to contain the outbreak. 

Last Sunday, Marie-Celestin Karondwa, a local leader of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's governing UDPS party, was beaten to death and his house set on fire in Butembo, an Ebola hotspot in the eastern North Kivu province, after participating in a Radio Mangaza program to raise awareness about the Ebola epidemic. 

The current outbreak, which is the DRC’s 17th, has spread rapidly since it was officially declared on May 15.

By now, we already know that Malaysia dominated squash at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games by capturing four out of five gold medals at stake: Women's Singles (Sivasangari Subramaniam), Men's Singles (Ng Eain Yow), Women's Team, and Men's Team. 

They only missed out on the mixed team event, cementing absolute regional dominance.

The final two team golds on Friday pushed Malaysia's total to 9 golds and 18 overall medals, successfully matching the country's historic record from the 2010 Guangzhou Games.

Well done, Squash Malaysia! 🥇🥇🥇🥇

Squash Queens Rule Asia: Malaysia Edges Hong Kong to Retain Team Gold

Malaysia’s squash queens survived an early scare to defeat Hong Kong China 2-1 today, successfully defending their Asian Games women’s squash team title in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. 

This high-stakes triumph delivers Malaysia’s seventh gold medal of the Games, officially pushing the contingent past its initial six-gold target. 👏👏👏

The gold-medal tie was a masterclass in resilience, pushing both powerhouses to the absolute limit. 

Aifa Azman put Malaysia ahead by delivering a clinical performance to down Hong Kong's Tomato Ho 11-9, 11-9, 12-10. 

The tie was thrown into jeopardy when Chan Sin Yuk pulled off a stunning upset, defeating newly crowned Asian Games individual champion Sivasangari Subramaniam in a gruelling five-game thriller (11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7). 

But Aifa's sister, 22-year-old Aira Azman stood her ground and showed nerves of steel. She demolished her opponent, Lee Ka Yi 11-9, 11-5, 11-4, to secure the winning point. 

Malaysia had also defeated Hong Kong 2-1 to capture the team gold at Hangzhou 2022. 

And not to forget mentioning the bronze medal Malaysia earned for the mixed doubles event, won by Ameeshenraj Chandaran and Rachel Mae Arnold. 🥉

Feeding the Beast: How Japan's Used Books Became AI Chow

There is perhaps no better example of an independent business than the neighborhood used bookstore. But like many such businesses these days, it can be really hard to make ends meet as they compete with cheaper chain stores or faster and more convenient electronic alternatives. 

So at first, it must have been a huge relief when a number of used book stores, in various parts of Japan, started getting huge volume orders for high-end books on non-fiction topics like history, medicine, and philosophy. 

However, when more and more such orders kept coming in at bizarrely regular intervals, things started to get creepy. 

One bookstore in Tokyo sold more than 1,000 books in total to a single shipping address, but when the owner looked more closely, he noticed that each order was made at inhumanly precise intervals. 

Another owner in western Japan said that he received an order for tens of thousands of books from a company overseas. 

And in almost all cases, the orders are for non-fiction books rather than the usually top-selling fiction and manga titles. Many of these orders are shipped to a logistics center in Okayama Prefecture, but when approached by the media, they refused to divulge who or where the purchaser is. 

Meanwhile, according to trade data, a major Japanese book distributor had sold over 50 tons of books in the United States in the last year but also declined to give specifics about what the sales entailed. 

Those in the used book business, however, are growing increasingly concerned that these are being used to train AI models. 

Earlier this year, AI firm Anthropic revealed that they had been purchasing books to train their Claude AI chatbot and that it was a common practice in the industry. 

In most, if not all, cases, the books are destroyed in the scanning process and rendered useless afterward.

[Read my "Chasing the Book Devourers" post published September 08, 2026]. 

The likelihood that this is what their stock is being used for has left Japanese booksellers feeling conflicted. On one hand, the sudden boost in revenue is nice. On the other, having your stock of acquired human wisdom be sent to a shredder in order to feed a technology that may one day wipe out your own business is not an overly pleasant thought. 

Online comments regarding this news seem to be split right down the middle, with some decrying this as the possible end of civilization and others believing that giving more Japanese culture and concepts over to foreign AIs might ultimately make the technology more useful to Japanese people.

“The books are cut, scanned, and tossed. And how faithful is this digital reincarnation? If the AI just devours it, then we risk losing our own history”. 

“Books weren’t made for this. Foreign interests are exploiting Japan, and this represents an overall spiritual poverty around the world”. 

“One time I asked an AI about a typo in a rather obscure book, and it could identify the exact page and line where it was. That’s when I knew it had been used for training”. 

“Considering the current state of the used book market, shouldn’t these shops be thrilled?” 

“A lot of them would have just been thrown away and incinerated anyway. Just don’t sell those things any rare or valuable books”. 

“This is terrifying. I don’t go to bookstores much, but if I ever pop into one, I’d hate to see a bunch of empty shelves”. 

“It looks like a win-win for both sides”. “I’m worried that if AI gets better at Japanese, fraud attempts will become more believable”. 

“If they aggregate all these old books into AI, I wonder if connections that humans haven’t seen will be revealed”. 

“We’re getting to a point where if data centers go down, our whole culture goes with it”. 

“In a lot of ways, used bookstores are like graveyards for books that no one buys, so export them and put them to good use”. 

“At least they’re paying money for it, rather than stealing it from the Internet”. 

There is also the issue of copyright and how Japanese law applies to the practice of destructive scanning to train AI models. 

Japan has some rather unique conditions for fair use in this regard. First, a book’s copyright can be infringed upon on the condition that the infringer is not enjoying the content. 

We all can agree that AI models are not enjoying the works, which would make the action legal. 

However, there is also an exception where, if the infringement creates an “unreasonable prejudice” against the copyright holder then the act is not legal. 

Unreasonable prejudice means that the action obstructs the copyright holder’s ability to earn revenue on their work, and while you can certainly make the argument that AI does that, proving it in court is much harder. 

Clearer legislation needs to be made to deal with this complex issue, but it would seem AI is growing at a much faster rate than lawmakers work, so we probably won’t figure this out until a lawmaking AI is developed to do it for us.

A SAL The Beautiful Full Stop Speech

Returning to a familiar venue in Sunway Mentari for the Speakers and Leaders Club meeting yesterday, I delivered my CSL2(3) speech titled "The Beautiful Full Stop". 

This was my speech #954 – and if you know me, it's not stopping anytime soon. In fact, I've already booked five speaking slots this month, and I'm hoping to secure one or two more!

The presentation itself explores why embracing death makes life worth living. It serves as an inspiring reminder to live intentionally and purposefully, showing how acknowledging our limited time adds deeper value and meaning to our everyday lives.

And so, my advice is for us to stop running from the end – death is the beautiful full stop that completes the story of our lives.

This was followed by the "That's One Minute" challenge, and the one-word topic was "egg". 

I chose to confess that during my varsity days, my absolute peak of human culinary achievement requires exactly three ingredients and zero talent: steaming white rice, a fried egg, and an aggressive splash of soy sauce. 

Truly, a simple and affordable meal! And still satisfying! 😋

Finally, a session of self-reflection.

And here's the proof that we had a good meeting:

Good Riddance!

US forces completed their final withdrawal from Iraq on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, ending a military presence that spanned more than two decades and cost the lives of 4,500 Americans. 

The exit follows a 2024 agreement negotiated under US President Joe Biden and was executed by Donald Trump’s administration, even amidst escalating US military conflict with Iran. 

Iraqi security experts state that maintaining a long-term US military presence in the country had ultimately become unsustainable.

Iraq has now reclaimed its sovereignty. 

The national women's squash team are one step away from defending their gold medal after advancing to the final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games today. 

Malaysia earned their spot in the final after defeating Japan 2-0 in the semi-finals. 

Sivasangari Subramaniam (left) dug deep before overcoming world No. 6 Satomi Watanabe 5-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-6, 11-3 to deliver Malaysia's first point. 

[Aira Azman then sealed the win for the national squad by beating Akari Midorikawa 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 to complete the 2-0 victory]. 

Malaysia will face Hong Kong China – the latter eliminated India 2-1 – in the final, setting up a rematch of the Hangzhou 2022 gold medal clash. 

On Friday, the girls defend their legacy and capture Asian Games glory once more.