Ethical wildlife photography for mammals
Credit: Paul Alistair Collins - WINNER Mammal Photographer of the Year 2025
Wildlife comes before photography. Do not destroy or alter habitat in pursuit of a photo – including traveling to and from a site.
Do not disturb or distract wildlife to get its attention or to encourage certain behaviour. You could prevent an animal from foraging, hunting or taking cover. Avoid flash photography or the intrusive / dangerous use of drones. Do not set traps for the purposes of photography. Use a long lens rather than ‘getting close’ so that an animal is not aware of your presence (sight, sound or smell). If an animal is alert because they are aware of your presence they are distracted from their natural behaviour which could lead to them missing out on food, rest or important duties in caring for young. See below this list for some particular considerations around certain species. This applies whether you are on foot, in a boat (approaching dolphins or whales can seem harmless but can prevent them hunting or cause stress due to the noise), or using a drone (which can cause alarm and disturbance even if you are a long way away).
Do your research. Don’t go into a habitat or approach wildlife without sufficient knowledge of how to act sensitively and responsibly. Be aware of special reasons for caution or care by knowing the signs of stress in your subject species, checking for any plant/tree/animal diseases that you must be careful not to spread, and considering any legal protections that apply to species you are photographing. Consider the time of year and life cycle of the animal you are photographing (and any others that may be affected by your presence) to ensure that any additional considerations are factored in - for example when animals may be mating (eg the deer rut), giving birth, or nursing young.
Follow ethical guidelines if putting food out for animals. Consider their health and the way you may influence their natural and safe behaviour. Don't use live bait. More on feeding mammals responsibly.
Avoid supporting unethical practice. Photographs of animals in captivity may be appropriate for some purposes if taken in well managed conditions and given accurate context, but also consider whether a photograph tour or ‘staged’ photo opportunity is ethical and sustainable.
Caption accurately and honestly. Misleading information about the circumstances of a photo can lead to misinformation about the behaviour or location of a species, or lead to inappropriate practice by other photographers seeking to learn from your technique. Likewise, the use of digital manipulation to present a false impression of wildlife location or behaviour is not acceptable.
Consider what you share. Some species may be the target of persecution, harassment or illegal hunting, and revealing the precise location could put them at risk. Avoid giving away precise locations in the caption or photograph where doing so could put wildlife at risk.
Do not use generative AI tools to create images of living species, as this can introduce misleading details that may be mistaken as real documentation of biological details, location, interactions or behaviour. For more on this please see our position statement on the use of AI in conservation.
Avoid sharing ‘wildlife selfies’. Seeking out close contact with a wild animal for selfish reasons (the experience or to get a photo) will already breach the ethical guidelines above due to the disturbance and stress they cause animals. Nevertheless, sometimes an occasion may arise when a close encounter happens without any unethical practice - for example if handling an animal while undertaking a responsible conservation activity such as small mammal trapping, veterinary procedure or a licenced translocation, or when an inquisitive animal approaches a human by choice. Even in these circumstances, and if a photo is captured that will be a treasured personal memory or a useful educational tool in context, sharing such images on social media can be problematic. photos like this can make the experience of having close contact with a wild animal as if they are pets aspirational, encouraging people to seek out such opportunities in the wild or to participate in the exploitation of animals in captivity.
Further reading
Defra Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code
Royal Photographic Society's Code of Practice for Nature Photographers
Seal Research Trust's best practice photography for seals advice