Animal rescue volunteers have told how a cat riddled with cancer was forced to ripped off its own ears after it was abandoned by its owners .

A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .

WITH A STERN look of determination on their faces, these adorable pooches perfect their doggy paddle as they dive head first into a swimming pool .

LYING back in the snow, these two polar bears share a cuddle as they call time out on playtime .

PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .

OFFERING a glimpse into the past, a mash-up of old and new photographs show how the world’s biggest cities have changed .

It’s a role reversal in the Visayan Sea as HUNDREDS of tiny, glistening eggs are carried around inside the mouth of their cardinalfish father .

EXPERTLY camouflaged, this clever panther chameleon knows how to catch its prey by surprise .

ROLLING across a 65-metre-high viaduct in the Alps, the red carriages of the Bernina Express add a splash of colour to the spectacular snow-covered Swiss surroundings .

Throwing their arms up in the air, these energetic squirrels play a game of ball with a walnut .

A hungry hippo is seconds away from catching a bird in its gigantic jaws .

A brave praying mantis makes an unusual friend in an Oriental garden lizard .