FREEZING MANATEES STRUGGLE TO STAY WARM
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm. The gentle giants have travelled 300 miles from the cold winter waters of the Gulf of Mexico to the springs of Crystal River, Florida. For manatees, it is vital they retain as much body heat as possible, otherwise their digestive systems can shut down. Belgian photographer Ellen Cuylaerts visited the lumbering 1,200lb creatures in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, where sick manatees are rescued and given care and surgery to get them back in the wild.
Other great stories
HUNGRY GORILLA ENJOYS DINNER
SHOVELLING food into his mouth, this hungry gorilla enjoys a peaceful moment at dinner time .
ABANDONED DAIRY FARM'S EERIE PAST
HEARTWARMING belongings lie abandoned in this eerie former dairy farm which has been left to crumble away for decades .
CLIMBERS TACKLE 200FT TOTEM POLE
TOWERING 65 metres into the sky, this terrifying accent is a dream for climbers .
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
CHEEKY FROG HITCHES A RIDE ON A SNAIL
A lazy tree frog, tired of hopping along a branch, chooses the slowest form of transport when it jumps on top of an unsuspecting snail .
SLAM DUNK DA FISH
THIS is the incredible moment a pelican throws a fish into the air and SLAM DUNKS it into its enormous throat sack .
ASTOUNDING ASTRONOMICAL IMAGES TAKEN IN GARDEN
AN ARRAY of colours, from pinks to blues and oranges, fill the night sky to create an amazing collection of interstellar patterns .
MOTHER'S FEAR AFTER SUICIDE DAUGHTER’S STALKER RELEASED
A mother is living in fear after the stalker she holds responsible for her daughter's death is back on the streets, after serving just one year in prison .
FIRST SHOES, FIRST STEPS FOR MENINGITIS TOT
Oday she is a picture of health - a happy, smiling child, enjoying life to the full .
MINI-CANE GUIDES BLIND LEXI
A BLIND school-girl whose growth has been stunted by a rare medical condition is finding her feet again with the help of a specially made mini-cane .
I WON'T GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT MY STAB VEST, SAYS ATTACK VICTIM
A man who was stabbed ten times in a frenzied and random attack has told how, two years on, he is too scared to leave his house without his STAB VEST .