A little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post. These adorable photographs of two playful bear cubs and their watchful mum were captured by American nature photographer D. Robert Franz, 56, on a visit to Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. 'What we see in these photographs is the interaction between the mother brown bear and her two cubs,' says D. Robert, of Cody, Wyoming.
A family of foster carers are facing bankruptcy and homelessness after they signed up to a Government scheme to renovate their house to be used for disabled children's short breaks .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .
FLOATING effortlessly on his back, this little otter laps up a rare glimmer of English spring sunshine .
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
WITH A wide smile plastered across his face, this little gecko is ready for his close up .
SLEEPING within touching distance of wild African animals might not be everyone's idea of a relaxing break .
A man who conned tax officials out of £34 million and funded a lavish lifestyle of luxury hotels and restaurants has been jailed for one of the longest sentences in British criminal fraud history .
FORGET Thorpe Park this summer as this is a 50 mile-per-hour ride over the Colorado River CANYON .
A trio of ants are locked in a tug of war over a fly as they pull the bug by its legs .
COURAGEOUS climbers descend 400 metres as they manoeuvre their way through thick walls of ice .
With the full moon looming behind him, this polar bear nestles down for the night .
This cheeky chappie is getting into all kinds of monkey business as he enjoys cooling off on a scorching hot day .