You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh.

Even in the darkest of times, there are signs all around us that there's so much beauty in the world,

and that is worth stopping, even if just for a second, to notice and appreciate the wonder of it all.

For photographer and wildlife enthusiast Tom Sullum, noticing nature is the greatest way

to learn how to see this wonder and better protect it. But he does this with a twist.

We wanted to use humor to address the serious topic of conservation.

And in so doing, encourage people to look up and appreciate what they get from wildlife.

Today, he helps to run the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards, a global annual competition whose mission is to help us enjoy the silly, beautiful wonders of the natural world around us

in order to support conservation.

In November 2025, he took to the TED stage to share what he's learned from the thousands

of submissions they've received over the years. And he did this by sharing a series of ever more

amusing and adorable photos of wildlife, which, as you'll'll hear makes us laugh and ooh and awe.

And yet they also offer a simple and profound truth.

The pictures I've shown you today are a reminder to us that it's our job to be custodians of these tender moments,

that we should accept coexistence rather than complete separation

from wildlife. We wanted to make sure that this message could be shared with our podcast listeners

as well, so we're doing something a little different on the feed. We reached out to Tom and asked

if he would describe the images he shared in his talk for our listening audiences,

which we've included here alongside portions of his talk.

The second image comes up, and it's a black bird with the most unbelievably negative scowl.

It's the most perfectly angry bird you'll ever see.

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