The week in wildlife: a rescued orangutan, the chonkiest bear and a barn owl’s triumph
This week’s best wildlife photographs from around the world
TL;DR
- A 3.5-metre bronze whaler shark nicknamed Bukang-i is trapped in an artificial waterway in Busan, South Korea, drawing crowds and prompting rescue efforts.
- Backpack, also known as Bear 89, won the annual Fat Bear Week competition in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
- Rescued animals include an orangutan found in a wildfire area in Indonesia and a fox cub nursed back to health in Essex, UK.
- Conservation efforts are highlighted with the release of a Siamese crocodile in Cambodia, a species once feared extinct.
- Other wildlife sightings include mountain gazelles in Iraq, whale sharks in Ecuador, bison in Wyoming, and seabirds feeding on a whale carcass in Argentina.
- A dramatic scene in the UK shows a barn owl battling other birds and a crow to deliver a vole to its chick.
- An Arctic tern chick colony on the Farne Islands, UK, shows signs of recovery after facing challenges from bird flu, flooding, and unpredictable weather.