A proud gorilla mum welcomes her newborn baby western lowland gorilla, a critically endangered species. The adorable baby gorilla was born at approximately 9.15am on Thursday 3rd January at Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire. Mum, Ozala, experienced a natural and stress-free birth and is keeping the new arrival very close to her. Curator of Living Collections, Charlotte Macdonald, said: “Ozala is a confident, attentive mother and is taking great care of her baby. The baby’s father, our silverback Oumbie, is gentle but protective and is showing a lot of interest in the infant. On the day of the baby’s birth he was very inquisitive, sitting beside Ozala and putting his face right up to the baby to smell it. In time, he will touch and play with the baby but for now he lets Ozala take things at her own pace.” The western lowland gorilla is listed as 'critically endangered' on the IUCN Redlist of Threatened Species, as there are estimated to be fewer than 100,000 left in the wild.
LYING flat out on his back, this little meerkat makes the most of the English sunshine .
DIVING boffins fired harpoons into 30-foot-long whale sharks in a bid to put the sea-beasts on Google Maps .
THESE kaleidoscopic-like photographs capture England’s churches and cathedrals in all their glory .
TOWERING 65 metres into the sky, this terrifying accent is a dream for climbers .
A diver attempts to control rising numbers of lionfish by feeding the venomous species to Caribbean reef sharks .
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
RESTING his weary head on his flipper, this little seal pup takes a much needed nap after an afternoon of strenuous yoga .
WITHOUT a care in the world, this little chimpanzee shows off her gymnastic skills as she swings around her enclosure .
At first glance what might look like ordinary rusty bridge and road railings, are in fact amazing works of art .
A BLIND man was battered with a brick in a sickening attack by two thugs .
A curious red squirrel takes a break from collecting nuts and tries her hand at photography .
A Romanian photographer has captured the unique patterns of hundreds of human eyes in a series of striking macro shots .