Week in wildlife: a rescued owl, a brave blackbird and Fukushima boar babies
City chicks … a pair of Egyptian geese have made the risky decision to raise their three goslings on Clapham Common’s Long Pond, close to a main road in London, UK. Both parents kept a watchful eye over their offspring, honking warnings to the youngsters as joggers and commuters passed by, but seemingly oblivious to the traffic only a few metres awayPhotograph: Anna Watson/Alamy Live News
A rare black leopard at the Laikipia wildlife conservancy, Kenya. The photographer said: “This is a seven-year-old black female leopard called Giza. She’s very famous as she’s so bold and beautiful. It’s been an ambition of mine for several years to photograph her for my forthcoming leopard project, and wow what an experience it was. She took my breath away the first time I saw her – probably the most beautiful cat I’ve ever seen, and I have seen a lot”Photograph: Andy Rouse/SWNS
A green iguana clings to a tree branch at Wakodahatchee wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida, US. It has adopted an orange hue because this is breeding season; its vivid colour, along with its enlarged jowls and bulging neck fan, will prove irresistible (it hopes) to female iguanasPhotograph: Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Snorkelling tourists mingle with manatees at Three Sisters Springs on the west coast of Florida, US. The sea cows congregate in the refuge to shelter from cold spells and rest in the warmer, shallower water therePhotograph: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
An eagle was not welcome when it swooped too near a blackbird’s territory in Arizona, US. Photographer Mark Koster snapped a red‑winged blackbird chasing away a bald eagle in his hometown of Scottsdale this week. He said: “In the 10 years I’ve been watching the Scottsdale eagles, I’ve never seen a red‑winged blackbird harass either one of them. The blackbird got so close you can see its shadow on Misty’s tail”Photograph: Mark Koster/SWNS
A satin bowerbird cools down at a birdbath in Kandos, New South Wales, Australia. The country has been sweltering in a severe heatwave, but temperatures look likely to fall next weekPhotograph: Mark Evans/Getty Images
A male northern cardinal fluffs up his feathers in Nyack, New York, US, during a major winter storm that left eight people dead across the statePhotograph: Mike Segar/Reuters
Mongolian wild donkeys, a protected species, forage on the Mazong mountain grassland in Hami, Xinjiang, China, on the borders of the Gobi desertPhotograph: Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Spider monkeys share “insider knowledge” about where to find the best fruit trees in the forest rather than foraging at random, research has found. The monkeys constantly change their social subgroups, which enables them to share information about where food can be sourcedPhotograph: Sandra Smith/PA
A wild boar and her babies – sometimes referred to as humbugs – graze in Fukushima, Japan. Nearly a decade after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, researchers from the University of Georgia have found that wildlife populations are abundant in areas devoid of human life. The study found and photographed more than 20 species, including wild boar, Japanese hare, macaques, pheasant, fox and the raccoon dog (a relative of the fox). Some are calling for the area to be left unpopulated, as a nature reservePhotograph: Courtesy of UGA
A snail gets its chops around a plant stalk in a garden, Dunsden, Oxfordshire, UK. Snails in the garden are generally considered pests due to their destructive feeding habits on plants, but they also act as beneficial decomposers and part of the local ecosystem. While they can devastate seedlings, lettuce, and leafy greens, they also clean up dead, decaying matter and serve as food for birds and small mammalsPhotograph: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock
A monkey eats while sitting a window of a Saraswati temple during the Sri Panchami festival, during which people worship Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of education, knowledge, and wisdom, in Kathmandu, NepalPhotograph: Narendra Shrestha/EPA
An endangered wild goat battles through the snow Tunceli, Turkey. Harsh winter conditions force the animals to descend to lower elevations in search of foodPhotograph: Dogan Evsan/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock
A herd of wild elephants in south-eastern Thailand. Wildlife officials there have given elephants contraceptives for the first time in an effort to control their ballooning population, which has increased the danger of human-elephant conflictsPhotograph: Thailand’s wildlife conservation office/AFP/Getty Images
Heart of darkness … this owl, nicknamed Gandalf, was brought in to International Animal Rescue’s centre in Costa Rica by local firefighters. Gandalf, a juvenile spectacled owl, was found near the river; it is believed he may have been scared by dogs. He was uninjured and officials hope to release him soonPhotograph: International Animal Rescue Costa Rica
