A woman has spoken of her heartbreak after she was rejected by an adoption agency because of her pregnancy phobia. Kayleigh-Emma Shiel, 30, has always dreamed of becoming a mother, but suffers from tokophobia – a fear of childbirth. Her condition means that she is unable to conceive a child of her own as she is too terrified of pregnancy and the associated pain. Believing that adoption was her only chance of becoming a mother, Kayleigh and her fabricator husband Gary, 47, applied to adopt a child in January this year. But the couple, from Elland, West Yorkshire, were rejected partly due to Kayleigh’s unusual phobia.
BEHIND the doors of this building, with its stacks of mattresses and discarded remains of wheelchairs, lies another victim of austerity cuts .
Splashing around in the water, a mother otter and her son are tangled in a family feud .
A Little owl looks down the lens of a camera and gives the photographer a cheeky wink .
SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .
SNUGGLING up against their teddy bears, these baby sloths could easily be mistaken for one of the cuddly toys .
WITH a paw in the air and his tongue hanging from his mouth, it is clear to see that this little groundhog is struggling to wake up and leave behind the comfort of his burrow .
A pair of BEAUTIFUL rescue sea turtles spot their catch in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef .
STRIKING photos capture nature at its most raw and powerful during Earth’s most electrifying event .
A group of otters put on a show of aqua aerobics, as they raise their flippers perfectly in sync .
This brave Hyena finally catches his pray among the thousands of flamingos, Lake Nakuru, Kenya - OUTNUMBERED among thousands of flamingos, this bold hyena is not put off from hunting for a morning snack .
