If humanity truly wants to understand the meaning of love, we must look to nature and animals to see how love is instinctively formed, and how feelings arise without words. Nature has taught us profound lessons without speaking to us directly, simply observing the behavior of the creatures around us is enough to reveal the meanings of loyalty, care, attachment, and love.

This is precisely what I noticed while contemplating the results of Wiki Loves Earth 2026. In some of the images, I saw more than just documentation of nature; I saw scenes that reminded us, as humans, of what it means to love instinctively.

When we speak about love, our first thought is the mother’s love, her attempts to protect and feed her children, and the children’s clinging to their mother for security and to continue their journey. From this perspective, Wiki Loves Earth 2026 takes me to India, where photographer Rohit Sharma captured an infant rhesus macaque in the embrace of its mother at Pench National Park. The image shows the infant clinging to its mother as she holds it close, a picture of love and affection that demonstrates how creatures are born with a capacity for love, regardless of their species. The monkey’s attachment to its mother and its gaze upon her confirm that a mother is the first source of security and love for all creatures.

Then I moved to Kuwait, where photographer BirderSajan captured a red fox mother with her cub’s nose touching hers. This reminds us that red foxes are known for building strong family structures and how female red foxes consistently demonstrate deep loyalty, unwavering protection, and tender care for their young. Interestingly, this is not necessarily its biological mother. Red foxes sometimes call upon a non-breeding female to help raise the young. shot was one of the rarest shots in Kuwait, which the photographer managed to capture at the right time and in a calm moment.

Then MaheshBaruahwildlife ’s camera takes me to Bhutan where the young langur hides in its mother’s arms. The mothers of Golden Langur are known for building a very close and protective physical bond with their infants, holding them tightly to their chests and bellies for their safety and transport while moving between the treetops in the forests. Female golden langurs and their young are extremely rare because the species as a whole is one of the most endangered primate species on Earth. A photographer managed to capture a very beautiful image of them and share it freely for everyone to access in Wikimedia commons.

It wasn’t just maternal love; in a unique and beautiful photograph taken by Lukas Kott in Czechia, a male hoopoe presents its prey to the female, demonstrating his foraging skills and his ability to feed his young in the future, thus strengthening the marital bond between them. The image shows the male’s attempt to prove his capacity for responsibility, which he considers the easiest way to express love. This image suggests to me a clear similarity in the roles of males in all creatures by nature. The mother is responsible for providing tenderness and protection to her offspring, while the father, in nature and among animals, is responsible for their care, protection, and overall well-being.

Things did not stop there, there were many pictures this year that expressed love between creatures, and showed that love is one of the most important values ​​that all human beings can agree on. These campaigns are a diverse repository of what nature may show us. Examining each image allows you to see the whole world through a single screen and to sense the emotions that these images may convey to us.