Pinning a purple flower into her bleach blonde hair, pretty Ava admired herself in the mirror. She had every reason to be proud. In the space of a year, she had lost an incredible 17 stone. Her weight dropped from 37st 1lbs to 19st 7lbs, and she slipped into a dress before gazing at her newly svelte figure. With her smokey eye makeup and black skater dress, she could have been glamming up for a night on the tiles with her girlfriends. Instead, it was Halloween, 2013, and Ava was hiding a huge secret. Born a boy named William, it was the first time she had ever dressed as a girl – and everything fell into place.
PICKING up a tiny tea-pot with its paws, a little red squirrel struggles to prepare its morning tea .
This is the moment a nimble red fox and a lumbering Alaskan brown bear were locked in a tense stand-off .
A tiny puppy who lost his front legs after being hit by a train has been given and new LEASH of life with a set of wheels .
A once bustling gold rush town in Mono County, California now stands completed deserted .
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 .
VIBRANT bursts of colour fill the screen as beautiful flowers blossom in these time-lapse videos .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
MASKED intruders look sinister but really they are a gang of urban exploring pranksters .
THESE are the Disney Princesses you wouldn't want to run into in a dark alley .
PERCHING on top of a gate, this young barn swallow waits patiently for his mum to return with dinner .
