Week in wildlife: acrobatic dolphins, a lost baby raccoon and a pair of Bambis

The Guardian

20-06-2025

Michigan wildlife experts finally were able to trap a black bear and remove a large lid that was stuck around his neck – after two years. They don't know how it managed to get the lid stuck on its head or how it fed itself for two years. The bear was said to be doing well after it was freed Photograph: AP
A jaguar growls at the Mata Ciliar rescue centre in Jundiaí, Brazil. The expansion of nearby São Paulo, known as the 'stone jungle', is chipping away at wild animals' habitat, with snares, poachers and electrified fences all posing threats. Twenty-five pumas and 10 jaguars are being treated at Mata Ciliar, joining monkeys, wild dogs, maned wolves, ocelots and other regional animals Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images
Dolphins show off their leaping skills near Port St Mary, Isle of Man, UK Photograph: Manuela Swiatek/SWNS
A spongy moth caterpillar feasts in a forest in south-western Corsica. Authorities are worried about a spike in numbers of these larvae, which devour the foliage of oaks – one of the island's most common trees – leaving woodlands devastated. Affected oaks can often recover from the damage, albeit with stunted growth Photograph: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images
Two baby roe deer play in the sun near Beeley, Derbyshire, UK Photograph: Villager Jim/SWNS
A northern gannet flies out from its nest in the cliffs at Bempton, East Yorkshire, UK Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Tibetan antelopes migrate through Changtang national nature reserve Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
On a roll … a Weddell seal in Antarctica. Antarctic seal populations are drastically declining as the sea ice melts around them. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey have been monitoring the seal population since the 1970s, looking in particular at three different seal species in the sub-Antarctic on Signy Island: Weddell seals, Antarctic fur seals and southern elephant seals. They found Weddell seals, which rely on stable sea ice to rest, breed and feed, had declined by 54% since 1977 Photograph: see info
A watchful prairie dog at the American Prairie nature preserve in Montana, US. A new study has found that birds such as curlews have figured out that if they eavesdrop on alarms from prairie dog colonies, they may get a jump on predators coming for them, too Photograph: Roshan Patel/AP
Newly hatched eaglets wait for food in their nest in Bingöl, eastern Turkey, with what looks like the remains of their last meal behind them Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Canada geese walk along the boardwalk near MacArthur Park lake, with the downtown Los Angeles skyline in the background, US Photograph: Patrick T Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
A worker bee rushes to collect pollen from a yellow dwarf California poppy, which is grown as an ornamental plant in high-altitude areas in Düzce, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Pecking order … two recently fledged great spotted woodpeckers, sporting the red cap that characterises young birds, fight over an old stump in Aberystwyth, Wales, UK. Neither was harmed in the spat Photograph: Philip Jones/Alamy Live News
A peacock shows its plumage in Ahmedabad, India Photograph: Rajat Gupta/EPA
Our south London fox cubs (see past instalments of Week in Wildlife) are now three months old. They have lost their youthful plumpness as they grow towards the leaner shape of adult foxes, although they still love to play Photograph: Anna Watson/Alamy Live News
Penthouse suite … storks nest on an electricity pylon in Diyarbakır, Turkey, having migrated to the area from the Nile valley in Egypt Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A small white butterfly flies through a field in Soultz-Haut-Rhin, eastern France Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images
An Anatolian ground squirrel tucks in to grass seeds in the rural steppes near Ankara, Turkey Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Flamingos parade at Patanemo lagoon, Puerto Cabello, Venezuela Photograph: Juan Carlos Hernández/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
A loggerhead sea turtle seen at night on a beach in Antalya, on Turkey's Mediterranean coast. Volunteers are working to protect 1,500 nests on two beaches in the area – which, despite being peppered with resorts and homes, are among the most important nesting areas of loggerhead turtles in Europe Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
A damselfly eats its prey at the Bois de Vincennes park in eastern Paris, France Photograph: Martin Lelievre/AFP/Getty Images
Locked out … a scared and wet baby raccoon was found on a doorstep in Belchertown, Massachusetts, US. The raccoon was warmed up and taken to Leyden wildlife rehabilitation centre
Photograph: Belchertown Animal Control/SWNS