Week in wildlife: an orphaned sloth bear, swimming hippos and cheeky New Forest donkeys

The Guardian

2 days ago

A red kite glides on thermal updraughts on a hot day in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK Photograph: Paul Marriott/Shutterstock
Birds perch on the antlers of a deer in Bushy Park, London, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Jenny, a five-month-old female sloth bear cub, was found clinging to her injured mother, believed to have been the victim of human-wildlife conflict in Shahdol, India. Despite efforts to save her, the mother died, and Jenny was sent to the Agra bear rescue facility, showing signs of severe stress and digestive issues. She is now housed in a specially designed cub-weaning area, receiving a custom diet of milk formula and around-the-clock care. As she begins to heal, Jenny is slowly becoming more active and gaining weight Photograph: International Animal Rescue and Wildlife SOS
A heath fritillary butterfly. One of the UK's rarest butterflies is seeing a significant rise in numbers and range on Exmoor. More than 1,000 heath fritillaries have been recorded so far this year on the National Trust's Holnicote estate in Somerset. This is a significant rise from about 600 at the same time last year Photograph: Matthew Oates/PA
Hippos swim in Dulahazara safari park, Bangladesh Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A gull strikes a pose in Lowestoft, Suffolk – just one of the UK towns struggling with the issue of gulls, particularly kittiwakes, that nest, steal food and leave abundant droppings throughout residential areas Photograph: Ali Smith/The Guardian
Fincare routine … killer whales have been observed mutually grooming each other with a type of seaweed, the first known instance of a marine animal using tools in a way that was previously thought to be the preserve of primates such as humans. The behaviour, called 'allokelping', was observed off the coast of Washington state, US, where one whale would bite off a chunk of kelp and roll it between its body and another's, as a kind of exfoliating scrub Photograph: Center for Whale Research/Reuters
Wild yılkı horses graze around the grass-covered crater of Mount Karadağ, southern Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Donkeys are caught breaking into the food recycling bins in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, UK. The council's move to introduce food waste bins has provoked a backlash, as some of the New Forest's 200 free-roaming donkeys have quickly learned to knock over the bins and feast on their contents. 'This is exactly what we thought would happen and I think it is only going to get worse,' said a resident Photograph: Solent News & Photo Agency
A European green lizard drinks water near Csobánka, northern Hungary Photograph: Attila Kovács/EPA
A group of raccoons come out after dark in Kassel, Germany. There are thousands of raccoons in the city, and while many in the city have embraced the animal, the EU classes it as an invasive species and ecologists are divided about what to do next Photograph: David Hup
Sambar deer in an enclosure before being released in Khlong Lan national park, Thailand. The species is classed as vulnerable, but, in an unfortunate turn of events, these particular deer are being used to support Thailand's wild tiger population, which needs prey: there are only about 200 endangered tigers left in the area Photograph: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
A bear is caught on a hunter's camera calmly feasting on bait in Pabradė, Lithuania Photograph: Paulius Peciulis/AP
A baby macaque clings to its mother for safety at Dulhazara safari park, Bangladesh Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Four American white pelicans visit a pond in a public park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Photograph: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
A gull gets a bird eye's view of Ann Li of the US playing Britain's Emma Raducanu at the Rothesay international tennis tournament in Eastbourne, UK Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
A dolphin leaps through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz in Oman's northern Musandam peninsula Photograph: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
A turtle is released into the sea in Valencia, Spain, to the delight of its assembled fans Photograph: Kai Forsterling/EPA
A Eurasian hoopoe flies in Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A rabbit forages at sunrise in Bushy park, London, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A bear cools off with a dip and a fruity snack at a rehabilitation centre near Bursa, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Puffins in action on the Farne islands, Northumberland, UK
Photograph: Jane Hobson/Shutterstock