This week's wildlife photography roundup features an orangutan rescued from wildfires in Indonesia, a brown bear crowned champion of Fat Bear Week in Alaska, and a barn owl's determined effort to deliver a vole to its chick in the UK.
Rescues and Recoveries
In Ketapang, Indonesia, rescuers carried an orangutan away from an area affected by wildfires. The orangutan was found seeking shelter in a tree before being rescued and treated by Yiari Indonesia.
In Wellington, New Zealand, a seal pup received a police escort while trying to cross a busy road. In rural Essex, UK, a young fox was released back into the wild after being nursed by staff at South Essex Wildlife Hospital, near Stanford-le-Hope. The hospital helps hundreds of injured, orphaned or sick fox cubs get their second chance in the wild. Lawrie Brailey, operations manager, said: "There's nothing better than watching a patient return to the wild, but there's something very special about one that you've raised from just a few days old."
Wildlife Competitions and Observations
A brown bear known as Backpack, officially named Bear 89, won the annual Fat Bear Week competition in Katmai National Park, Alaska. Backpack – a relatively laid-back bear who earned his name as he's often seen clinging to his mother's back – beat competitors such as Marshmallow, Studious and the defending champion, Chunk.
In Busan, South Korea, residents gathered to observe a 3.5-metre bronze whaler shark that got trapped in an artificial waterway in the southeastern port city. The shark, nicknamed Bukang-i, has been drawing crowds there since 18 September. A first attempt to shepherd it back to sea failed, but authorities were having another go, using a custom-made net.
Wildlife in Diverse Habitats
A herd of wild mountain gazelles navigated the rugged terrain of the Baranan mountain range in north-eastern Iraq. A whale shark swam near Roca Redonda, a rocky islet in the Galapagos archipelago, Ecuador. This is the largest known species of fish (they can grow to 20 metres), and the islet is tiny – five whale sharks would span its entire length.
Bison roamed at Grand Teton National Park, near Yellowstone in Wyoming, US. A herd of female pronghorn stayed close together at the same park. The pronghorn looks like an antelope, but in genetic terms its closest relatives are the giraffe and the okapi.
Dramatic Encounters and Conservation Efforts
Seabirds perched on the carcass of a southern right whale off El Doradillo beach near Puerto Madryn, Argentina. A barn owl caught a vole in Weardale, Co Durham, UK, but a short-eared owl swooped up from behind and grabbed it. Both owls landed on the ground. Next to arrive was a kestrel, who seized the vole. The barn owl managed to get it back and was on its way back to the nest, but a crow started chasing it. Eventually, the owl managed to get home and give the vole to its chick, which downed it in one go. Photographer Jason Roach caught the whole saga.
A firefighter rescued a reptile amid a wildfire that has burned more than 700 hectares in the Amazon region of Cacau Pirêra, Brazil. Thirty-five firefighters and 15 vehicles were taking part in the firefighting effort, using more than 150,000 litres of water. Head community warden Sim Khmao released a Siamese crocodile at Chhay Reap, Cambodia. In the 1990s, conservationists feared the Siamese crocodile had disappeared for good, but Indigenous people helped to find the last ones living in the wild. Now the crocodiles have a protected area in which to breed and thrive.
Bandit and Misty, a bald eagle couple, captured the hearts of birdwatchers in Scottsdale, Arizona, US. Wildlife photographer Mark Koster took this photo of the pair side by side in a tree. He said: "I spent three hours with our Scottsdale bald eagle couple. It's the time of year they start playing around."
An Arctic tern chick on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK. Key tern colonies are showing signs of recovery after being hit by years of bird flu, flooding and increasingly unpredictable weather, the National Trust has said. Bees congregated on a bench along the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, Australia. Stags fought in a forest near Frankfurt, Germany, during the rutting season. A great egret was spotted at the fishing cove of Veracruz, about 20km from Panama City, Panama. The presence of these birds in the country gave rise to the name of the presidential residence, Palacio de las Garzas.
