We're probably not getting out in nature quite as much as we'd like to at the moment. A safari in the Serengeti, or even a trip west to look for Maui Dolphins seem like very distant prospects.
Fortunately, this week - not one but - two international wildlife photography competitions have relased choice images to inject a bit of wildlife into our lives.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, they couldn't be more different.
The London Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year has announced their 2021 finalists. In its 57th year, this prestigious photography award asked for images showing the "importance of the variety and variability of life on Earth".
The resulting exhibition will tour the world, eventually ending up in Auckland for the beginning of next year.
Then, at the far end of the food chain, we have the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. A long-list of 42 funny finalists were released by the competition this week.
A relative newbie to the nature photography calendar - in its seventh year - the awards were started as an antidote to the "heartbreaking" imagery and stories told elsewhere.
"With this competition, we wanted to capture people's attention and energy by giving them a giggle," says Paul Joynson Hicks, awards co-founder. "In order to protect animals, we need people to fall in love with them."
For every harrowing image of cheetahs caught in floods there is a photo of otters pulling faces. For every majestic lion, a pidgeon being hit in the face by leaves. The two awards have a natural harmony.
In the year of COP 15 conference on biodiversity, both competitions are seeking to show the value of nature, as the threats to the natural world are in the headlines.
With over 50,000 images submitted from 95 countries, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year has been whittled down to a final 100.
Judge and Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Doug Gurr says that, even though travel was curtailed, the images were no less impressive and the stories they told no less urgent:
"Telling the story of a planet under pressure, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition illuminates the urgent challenges we face and the collective action we need to take."
The prestigious overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner will be announced on 12 October, at an award ceremony in the Kensington museum. Last year's winner Sergey Gorshkov was presented his award by wildlife patron the Duchess of Cambridge, for a rare glimpse of a Siberian Tiger.
Meanwhile, winners of the Comedy Wildlife Photography awards will be announced on October 22. The best images going into a photo album with proceeds going to chosen charity Save Wild Orangutans.
Whittling down 7000 images to 45 finalists, Joynson Hicks said the turnout was amazing given the effects of the pandemic.
"The huge number of images we receive every year illustrates the appetite there is to engage with conservation and reminds us that wildlife truly is incredible and hilarious and we must do all we can to protect it," Paul said.
While this is a process that goes before a judging panel, the stand out images of the Comedy awards are chosen by the internet. Each year there may be only one winner, but also several hilarious and sometimes unexpected memes.
Last year a turtle making a rude gesture to Queensland photographer Mark Fitz found viral fame spreading the effect of the awards. Fitz said the image resulted in " thousands of shares, millions of likes and even a few news stories." A couple of people have even said they're "going to get tattoos of him."
The two annual awards have struck up a symbiotic relationship, showing the broad spectrum of wildlife, in all its untamed glory.
