Week in wildlife: wild ponies, a playful jaguar and penguin chicks taking their first swim

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world

Main image: Two bear cubs who were rescued in Bursa, Turkey. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

  • A camouflaged snow leopard is hard to spot in Tibet. Known as the king of the snow mountains, the leopards number less than 6,000 in the wild
    A camouflaged snow leopard is hard to spot in Gerze County, China. Known as the king of the snow mountains, the snow leopard is under first-class national protection in China, and is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature

  • An egret cools off by gular fluttering – rapidly vibrating its throat muscles with an open beak – to beat the heat in Orlando, Florida, US
    An egret cools off in the Florida heat by gular fluttering, rapidly vibrating its throat muscles with an open beak, to regulate body temperature in Orlando, Florida, US

  • A fox relaxes in the spring sunlight in Berlin, Germany
    Fox relaxes in sunlight on HKW rooftop in Berlin, Germany during a spring day

  • Wild horses rest in the dunes next to 90 Mile Beach in Houhora, New Zealand. They form part of the spectacle for the Great Northern Gallop, a 100km adventure race where participants run or walk alongside domesticated miniature ponies. The charity Born to Run organises the annual event to raise funds for the welfare of miniature horses in its care
    Wild horses rest in the dunes next to 90 Mile Beach in Houhora, New Zealand. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Northland’s wild beaches and dense forests, the Born to Run Great Northern Gallop is a one-of-a-kind 100km multi-day adventure race where participants run or walk alongside spirited miniature ponies. Chloe Phillips organises the annual event to raise funds for the welfare of miniature horses in her care. She rescues and rehabilitates at least 15 ponies a year and takes them from crippling lameness, starvation and neglect to running 100km over four days

  • Storks nest on electric wires in Duhok, Iraq
    Storks nest on the electric wires on the Berdesh-Rovya road in Duhok, Iraq

  • A swimmer has a close encounter with a whale shark off the coast of Saint Helena in the Atlantic ocean
    A person swims near a whale shark off the coast of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean

  • An alligator lurks near the fairway during the RBC Heritage golf tournament on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US
    An alligator is seen near the fairway on the second hole during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US

  • A red squirrel, still in its winter coat, cadges a snack in a pine forest in Kars, Turkey
    A red squirrel crawls on tree branches in a yelllow pine forest in the Sarikamis district of Kars, Turkey

  • Doctors perform an endoscopic ovariectomy on an adult female bear for the first time in Chubynske, Ukraine. The bear, named Lyubochka, was showing signs of obsessive-compulsive disorder, which vets found was linked to her hormones. She now faces two weeks of postoperative rehabilitation
    Doctors perform an endoscopic ovariectomy on an adult female bear for the first time in Ukraine, in White Rock bear shelter, in Chubynske village, Kyiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine

  • Roseate spoonbills at Orlando Wetlands Park in Christmas, Florida
    Roseate spoonbills at Orlando Wetlands Park in Christmas, Florida

  • Emperor penguin chicks take their first swim in Atka bay, Antarctica
    Emperor penguin chicks take their first swim in Atka Bay, Antarctica

  • Three buffaloes (technically bison) rest in the the Eastern Shoshone buffalo enclosure on the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming, US
    Three buffaloes rest in the the Eastern Shoshone Buffalo Enclosure on the Wind River Reservation near Morton, Wyoming, US

  • Celeste, a three-year-old jaguar, relaxes at the Las Pumas Rescue and Sanctuary Center in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Playful and fond of splashing in her pool, she won the Wild Animal Unique Personality award this year
    Celeste, a 3-year-old jaguar relaxes at the Las Pumas Rescue and Sanctuary Center in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

  • Two yacare, a kind of caiman, sunbathe in the water at a botanical park in Asunción, Paraguay
    Yacare, a kind of caiman, sunbathe in the water at Botanical Park in Asuncion, Paraguay

  • Two bear cubs, recently rescued, are cared for at the Celal Acar Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Bursa, Turkey. They were found by citizens who brought them to the shelter, where they will spend the rest of their lives. The male cub is called Bulut (Cloud) and the female Yağmur (Rain)
    Two bear cubs who were recently rescued, are cared for at the Celal Acar Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Bursa, Turkey

  • In St Petersburg, Russia, a volunteer releases toads and frogs from a bucket after carrying them across the road toward the lake – an annual ritual boosted by a campaign called Roads for Amphibians!
    A volunteer releases toads and frogs from a bucket after carrying them across the road toward the lake. Every spring amphibians begin their migration. With the arrival of warmth, they move from the forests to the shores of the Sestroretsky Razliv to lay eggs. Their path crosses a road and to save their lives, volunteers carry them across the road as part of the “Roads for Amphibians!” campaign in the Sestroretskoye Bog nature reserve, St Petersburg, Russia

  • A male mute swan stretches his neck down in a territorial display as he patrols his territory on the Thames in Windsor, Berkshire, UK
    A male mute swan stretches his neck down low in a territorial display as he patrols his territory on the River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire, UK
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