It might not seem the wildest of wildlife photography, but the people have spoken.

A pair of mice scrambling for crumbs under the fluorescent lights of the London Underground has won the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Lumix People's Choice Award for 2019.

The split-second shot captured the rodents in silhouette, undertaking epic combat on a station platform.

The image, along with a handful of highly commended snaps, highlights the tensions and intricacies between humans and wildlife.

Winning British photographer Sam Rowley frequented train stations at night, lying on the ground to capture the wrestling mice — and attracting a few odd looks from commuters for his efforts.

"I hope it shows people the unexpected drama found in the most familiar of urban environments," Rowley said.

Rowley's photograph "Station Squabble" was one of 25 shortlisted images chosen by the Natural History Museum, which exhibits the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) award.

The overall competition was won last year by Yongqing Bao, who snapped the startled, tragicomic final moments of a marmot cornered by a fox in China's Qilian Mountains.

In October this photo of a Tibetan fox attacking a marmot was named the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. ( Supplied: Yongqing Bao )

Natural History Museum director Sir Michael Dixon said the squabbling mice reminds viewers that "humans are inherently intertwined with the nature that is on our doorstep".

"Sam's image provides a fascinating glimpse into how wildlife functions in a human-dominated environment," he said.

"The mice's behaviour is sculpted by our daily routine, the transport we use and the food we discard."

Animal interactions in urban landscapes and the human impact on the natural world was a recurring theme in some of the highly commended photographs.

British photographer Aaron Gekoski's portrait of an orangutan wearing boxing gloves in a garish circus-like setting is a case in point.

"Losing the Fight" depicts the degrading performances orangutans are subjected to. ( Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards: Aaron Gekoski )

Entitled "Losing the Fight", the photograph provides a glimpse into the decades-long use of endangered orangutans in degrading performances, such as in Safari World in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The shows were temporarily stopped in 2004 due to international pressure, but today the shows continue — twice a day, every day — with hundreds of people paying to watch the orangutans box, dance, play the drums and more," WPY said of the photo.

Another touching image, Canadian Martin Buzora's portrait of a Kenyan conservation ranger and the baby black rhino he protects, highlights both the kind and cruel impact of humans.

Elias Mugambi rubs noses with orphaned black rhino Kitui in "The Surrogate Mother". ( Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards: Martin Buzora )

The dappled sunlight of the photo shows the young rhino, Kitui, pressing his nose to that of Elias Mugambi, a ranger at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

"He often spends weeks away from his family caring for orphaned black rhinos," WPY said of the photo, titled "The Surrogate Mother".

"The young rhinos are in the sanctuary as a result of poaching or because their mothers are blind and cannot care for them safely in the wild."

Also highly commended was "Matching Outfits", depicting a mother jaguar and her cub entangled with a large snake.

The photographer was drawn to the similar patterns and called this picture "Matching Outfits". ( Wilidlife Photographer of the Year awards: Michel Zoghzoghi )

Lebanon's Michel Zoghzoghi, who was shooting in Brazil, was mesmerised by the anaconda's pattern so closely resembling the coats of its captors.

Another photograph that plays a trick of the eye was "Spot the Reindeer" by Francis De Andres, who was also highly commended in the people's choice award.

This enigmatic photo of white arctic reindeer in Svalbard was highly commended. ( Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards: Francis De Andres )

The light sketch of creatures can be made out against the stark white image, captured in the extreme, freezing conditions at the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard.

"Francis found this composition of white arctic reindeer, which were observing him, both curious and charming," WPY said.

Mike Owen, from Panasonic Lumix UK, said the winning "Station Squabble" draws the viewer in to a "simultaneously recognisable and unknown world".

"Incredible photography is a combination of patience, luck and skill — Sam has managed the rare feat of pulling all three together in this single shot," he said.

ABC