SOARING through the air, this is the moment a hungry tawny owl arrives home with dinner. After swooping down from a branch to catch its prey, the owl safely hands over a field mouse to his family in their nest. The breathtaking photographs were captured by Italian photographer Jacopo Rigotti, 24, after he spent weeks photographing the majestic birds in South Tyrol, Italy. “My home is surrounded by forests, rivers and mountains and I am always in close contact with many species of owls,” says Jacopo, of Trentino, Italy.
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 little brown bear cub shows his doting mum that she is always on parent duty as he uses her as a scratching post .
AT 4,800 metres high and just three metres wide, this is the most dangerous road in the world .
HOPPING onto the scales, these adorable baby Humboldt penguins are ready for their first weigh-in .
Raising his arms above his head and lying flat on his back, a polar bear stretches as he sprawls out across the ice .
AIRPORT staff have been put on alert after diet pills that come in grenade shaped containers sparked security alerts .
THESE LOVE BIRDS can’t keep their beaks off each other as they share a very public display of affection .
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
HUNDREDS of colour coordinated yarns lie abandoned in this once thriving textile mill .
FROM A mini table and chairs to a detailed violin, it’s hard to believe these incredible sculptures are all carved into the nib of PENCILS .
A NINJA red squirrel cuts a dashing figure as the little fella jumps up to ten-feet between treetops in the Yorkshire Dales .