Bloodless Hunt, the longest-running photo competition in Estonia, was organized on May 22-25, 2015 at a site located at Simisalu in the Kõrvemaa region of Estonia. Starting from October 19, the beautifully “hunted” animals were put on display in an exhibition featuring the best of the photographs at the State Forest Management Centre in Tallinn, the organization curating the competition. The exhibition runs till December 11 and features beautiful animals from deer to foxes and beautiful little birds.
The competition is held annually with the goal of promoting Estonian nature and wildlife. Every year since 1997, photographers armed with their cameras and other equipment march towards the designated area to “shoot” animals and capture them in their natural habitat. “Hunters” lay in wait for the perfect moment to ambush their prey. The animal in focus this year was the wild boar, but the competition accepted entries spanning other species as well.
This year’s winner was a photograph of a running hare, captured by Jarek Jõepera, and the State Forest Management Centre declared its favourite to be of a deer again clicked by Jarek Jõepera.
The exhibition is displayed in the main lobby of the State Forest Management Centre at Toompuiestee 24. The selection of the most notable photos of various animals and birds line the walls with a tiny plaque on each describing the shot. The winning pictures have their own place along one of the walls and truly highlight the beauty of the animals captured. Photographs of this year’s animal in focus, the wild boar are also present, whereas, when the animal was in focus a few years ago, none of the photographers were able to capture it due to its small numbers and hence difficulty in sighting.
The exhibition is not very crowded and is a great place to visit to marvel at the animals and the skill of the “hunters”, who were successful in capturing the beauty of Estonian fauna.
