Week in wildlife: relief for traumatised lions, a shy deer and a stork doing yoga

One of 15 Darwin’s rheas emerges from its holding pen during its translocation from Argentina to Chile. The large flightless birds are being moved as part of a programme to rewild degraded areas of southern American grasslands. “If we want to reverse the mass extinction crisis, international cooperation is going to be essential,” said a project leader. “Nature knows no borders”

A bumblebee pollinates a cherry blossom tree in central London as spring begins in the UK

A sick sea lion with possible domoic acid poisoning is rescued by volunteers in Santa Barbara, California, US. More than 100 sea lions, birds, dolphins and other marine mammals have been poisoned by algal blooms in the Pacific

Red foxes roam the snowy terrain of Soğuksu, Turkey, searching for food

A hummingbird in Funilândia, Brazil

A forest musk deer in Cao Bằng, northern Vietnam, captured by a camera trap. It’s the first time this timid little deer, only about two feet tall, has been spotted in the wild in this area for decades. Forest musk deer are rare in Vietnam, with conservationists estimating fewer than 50 individuals remain in the country

An Asian hornet in Rosny-sous-Bois near Paris, France. After arriving in France in a cargo of pottery from China about 20 years ago, the species has spread rapidly across Europe. They prey aggressively on honeybees, and have been known to attack humans; several people have died after being stung by an Asian hornet

A rescued double-crested cormorant chick being examined at International Bird Rescue’s Los Angeles Wildlife Center in San Pedro, California, US. When a wind-damaged eucalyptus tree threatened to fall, staff scrambled to extract the 47 eggs and 12 chicks housed in its branches. The chicks must be fed every hour from 8am to 8pm. When staff interact with them, they wear a black suit and disguise their faces, while using decoys and puppets to keep the birds from forming an attachment with them

An olive ridley sea turtle hatchling gives villagers a wave as it ambles into the sea at the Pawikan sanctuary near Naic, Philippines. In the past, beach erosion due to strong waves destroyed the turtles’ nesting sites, but concrete breaker structures have been installed along the coast to make it easier for them to lay their eggs

March hares engage in energetic mating rituals in Kidderminster, UK on a warm March day

This is Yoko, a 38-year-old chimpanzee, on his way to a sanctuary in Brazil. His story is extraordinary: he was kidnapped as an infant and raised by a Colombian drug lord, who taught him to smoke, wear clothes and eat with a knife and fork. “The degree of tameness is very high – he basically behaves like a child,” said his veterinarian

Yoko at his new home, the great ape sanctuary in Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

A new species of microsnail, less than 2mm in size, has been discovered in western Cambodia. The tiny snails, who have colourless, semi-transparent bodies, were found crawling on cave walls, their shells decorated with soil and dirt in star-shaped patterns – a technique that is thought to trap humidity and act as camouflage

An African bush elephant walks behind a flock of red-billed queleas in this wonderful photo by Bence Mate, which won second prize in the “single nature and environment” category in the 2025 Istanbul Photo Awards. It was taken in Kenya

A white stork tries a bit of yoga in its nest in Tremsdorf, eastern Germany

A dragonfly rests on a plant in the midst of an extensive brush fire in southern Florida, US

A roe deer and a roebuck stand in the morning mist on a meadow in the Oderbruch wetlands, eastern Germany

Two bald eagles survey the scene in Maryland, US

Villano, a male lynx, plays in his enclosure in Andalusia, Spain. He and another lynx, a female called Vinegra, will be released into the wild in the north of the country next month. Authorities are hoping to repopulate northern Spain with lynx

A male common kestrel perches on a tree in Nice, southern France

Deer gather in a forest near Frankfurt, Germany

Lira, one of five rescue lions from Ukraine who have been rehomed at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Ashford, Kent, UK. The first was Yuna, who came to the UK in 2024 after being left unable to walk due to severe shellshock from missile attacks. She is now joined by Rori, Amani, Lira, and Vanda. The lions have endured neglect and abuse, and for four out of the five, their new home will be the first time they have ever touched grass