Week in wildlife – in pictures: a lazy leopard, a moonwalking elephant and hitchhiking ducklings

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Main image: A giraffe walks through a rainbow at the Zimanga Private Game Reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. Photograph: Calvin Kotze/Animal News Agency

  • A cheeky owl jumps on the back of one of its siblings as they all try to fit on one tree stump in Lagoa do Peixe National Park in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
    A cheeky owl jumps on the back of one of its siblings as they all try to fit on one tree stump in Lagog do Peixe National Park in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

  • Crocs away? An alligator rests near the wheels of a US Air Force aeroplane at MacDill Air Force Base, south of Tampa, Florida, US. The huge creature chose the shady tarmac in front of the wheels to take a nap. Staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were seen wrangling the gator using restraining rope. An update from the air base confirmed it had been safely moved to a nearby river
    Crocs away? An alligator rests near the wheels of a US Air Force airplane at MacDill Air Force Base, south of Tampa, Florida, US. The huge creature chose the tarmac in front of the wheels of an airplane to take a nap. Staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were seen wrangling the gator using restraining rope. An update from the air base confirmed the reptile had been safely moved to the nearby Hillsborough River

  • Authorities try to persuade Emerson, a 500lb elephant seal in Victoria, Canada, to move along. Emerson had previously been relocated 126 miles away from Victoria, ‘far from human habitation’, for his own safety. But less than a week later, he made an epic trek along the coast of Vancouver Island back to the city, a return that has left conservation officers in disbelief
    Emerson, a 500lb elephant seal in Victoria, Canada. Emerson had been removed from Victoria away ‘far from human habitation’ for his peace, driven 126 miles in a van. But, less than a week after he was removed, he made an epic 126-mile trek along the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island back to the city, a return that has left conservation officers in disbelief

  • Common merganser ducklings hitch a ride on their mother’s back at a lake in Mulhouse, France
    Ducklings ride through the water on their mother’s back at a lake in Mulhouse, France

  • Fox cubs and their mother emerge from their den after rainfall in a garden in Clapham, London, UK
    Fox cubs and their mother emergye from their den after rainfall in a garden in Clapham, London, UK

  • A lynx patrols its territory in Antalya, Turkey
    A lynx, anendangered species, is seen in a forested areas in Antalya, Turkey

  • A wild boar in the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany
    A wild boar looks on in a forest of the Taunus region near Frankfurt, Germany

  • A peacock shows off his impressive multicoloured plumage in an effort to attract a mate in Ranthambore National Park, India
    A peacock shows off his impressive multicoloured plumage in an effort to attract a mate in Ranthambore National Park in India.

  • Five fledgling robins covered in down wait for food in their nest in Wiltshire, UK. The parents had made a nest and laid the eggs in a green waste recycling bin. The eggs were first discovered in early April. There is a small gap where the lid was propped open by garden waste. This allows the parents to come and go and the young robins to remain in relative safety
    Five fledgling robins covered in down wait for food, in a nest in Wiltshire, UK. The parents had made a nest and laid the eggs in a green waste recycling bin. The eggs were first discovered in early April. There is a small gap where the lid was propped open by garden waste. This allows the parents to come and go and the young robins to remain in relative safety

  • A giraffe walks through a rainbow at the Zimanga Private Game Reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa
    A giraffe walks through a rainbow at the Zimanga Private Game Reserve in Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa

  • A couple of oriental white storks take care of their chicks in a nest on top of a power grid pylon in east China’s Jiangsu province, where the species is endangered and under protection
    A couple of oriental white storks take care of their chicks in a nest on top of a power grid pylon in Xinghua in east China’s Jiangsu province, where the species is endangered and under level one protection in China

  • A baby elephant showed off its dance moves to motorists, doing a Michael Jackson-style moonwalk for its captive audience at Kruger National Park, South Africa
    A baby elephant doing the moon walk ) This is the funny moment a A baby elephant crosses the road and causes a traffic jam at Kruger National Park, South Africa

  • A common red soldier beetle crawls on a leaf in Izmir, Turkey. Adults feed on aphids, and also eat pollen and nectar
    A common red soldier beetle crawls on a leaf in Izmir, Turkey. Adults feed on aphids, and also eat pollen and nectar

  • Hawaiian surfer Gabriela Bryan shared a wave with a pod of dolphins as she won her first World Surf League tour event at the Margaret River Pro in western Australia. “That wave was sent to me by someone, the dolphins in it. It was magical,” she said
    Hawaiian surfer Gabriela Bryan shared a wave with a pod of dolphins as she won her first WSL tour event over Californian rookie Sawyer Lindblad in pumping surf at the Margaret River Pro in Western Australia

  • A caterpillar walks on a tree in the protected Amazon rainforest of Cuyabeno, Ecuador. The smell of rotting fish fills the trail where a team of biologists and park rangers has hung 32 green traps. Since August, they have been developing a butterfly monitoring project to measure the effects of climate change
    A caterpillar walks on a tree in the protected Amazon rainforest of Cuyabeno, Ecuador. The smell of rotting fish fills part of the trail where a team of biologists and park rangers has hung 32 green traps that blend into the thick of the forest in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Production Reserve. Since August, they have been developing a butterfly monitoring project to measure the effects of climate change with the support of the American NGO Rainforest Partnership

  • A bumblebee flies off, laden with pollen, as it feeds from dandelions in the hot weather in Athy, Co Kildare, Ireland
    Bumblebees covered in pollen as they germinate dandelions in the hot weather in Athy Co Kildare, Ireland

  • A brush rabbit checks for predators in Pacific Grove, California, US
    A brush rabbit checks for predators in Pacific Grove, California, US

  • Puffins have returned to Skomer Island, Wales, UK for the mating season. Skomer has 42,500 puffins who visit from mid-April to late July
    Puffins have returned to Skomer Island, Wales, UK for the mating season. Skomer has 42,500 Puffins who visit from (mid-April to late July

  • Welsh wildlife lovers are demanding new “beware of the goat” road signs in Llandudno, UK, where a notorious herd of Royal Kashmiri goats have been running wild. The animals, which became famous during the first lockdown, like to come into town, invade gardens and fight in the street – and earlier this month four died after being hit by a car
    Wildlife lovers are demanding new beware of the goat roadsigns over a notorious herd of royal goats plaguing a seaside town in Llandudno, Wales, UK. The protected herd of Royal Kashmiri goats have been running wild, stampeding into gardens and fighting in the street - and earlier this month four died after being hit by a car. More than 150 Kashmiri goats live on the nearby Great Orme headland but wander into the town on the rampage. The famous Llandudno goats are renowned around the world for their antics becoming a sensation during Covid lockdowns when they took over the town

  • A flamingo forages at Fuente de Piedra Lake, Spain. Recent rains in the province of Málaga have caused the water level of the lagoon to rise, attracting thousands of flamingos who are beginning their breeding cycle
    A flamingo is seen foraging at Fuente de Piedra Lake, Spain. The recent rains in the province of Málaga has allowed the water level of the lagoon to rise and the arrival of thousands of flamingos to begin their breeding cycle. This lagoon is a nature reserve and breeding ground for flamingos

  • A bird is silhouetted against the full moon in Van, Turkey
    A bird rest on a branch during a full in Van, Turkey
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