Most people have an angel at the top of their Christmas tree, but one bear at Chester Zoo decided he wanted to be the star of the show. Climbing right to the top of the tree, the zoo’s spectacled bear Bernardo can often be seen relaxing with his head in the clouds. Four-year-old Bernardo moved to the zoo after travelling from Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma. Tim Rowlands, the zoo’s curator of mammals said: “An exchange of animals between the USA and Europe doesn’t happen very often at all, which makes Bernardo even more special to us here at the zoo.
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .
A little caterpillar fearlessly scampers down a branch and confronts a praying mantis .
Some will get up close and personal with Mother Nature’s deadliest animals to get the perfect shot, posing the question, what lengths will a photographer go to for that all important picture? But in this case, the question should be what depths .
If you had to scrape the snow off your car this morning or slip-slide your way into work over icy pavements spare a thought for these little critters .
A pair of adorable polar bear cubs play-fight with each other in the Alaskan snow .
WITH HIS PAW covering his mouth, this cheeky cub looks amused by something .
SQUEEZING their furry faces through a hole in a tree, a trio of curious baby squirrels leave their nest for the first time to explore their surroundings .
Sprawled out on top of a log, this sleeping leopard takes a relaxing break from his daily routine .
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 .
BURSTING from the water, a beautiful but deadly Sumatran tiger jumps for food in an Indonesian zoo .
WELCOME to the drawing room that is home to the £100K world’s greatest collection of Margaret Thatcher autographed objects .