The week in wildlife

A baby seal seen on ice of the White Sea in the Arkhangelsky region, about 1,300km (812m) from Moscow, Russia. This week the Russian government banned the hunting of baby harp seals. The decision comes weeks after the prime minister, Vladimir Putin, reportedly called the hunt a "bloody industry" Photograph: Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./AP

A flock of birds takes flight at Merritt Island national wildlife refuge near Titusville, Florida, which borders the John F. Kennedy Space Centre Photograph: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

A Sally Lightfoot crab in the Galapagos Islands Photograph: Guillermo Granja/Reuters

A white peacock displays its plumage at the Giza zoo in Cairo, Egypt. White peacocks are often mistaken for albinos but are in fact a colour variation of the Indian blue peacock, and are considered rare Photograph: Ben Curtis/AP

A butterfly sits on a mustard flower at a field in the outskirts of Srinagar, Kashmir, India Photograph: Mukhtar Khan/AP

A pelican is cleaned of oil deposits by members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a temporary cleaning facility following the Pacific Adventurer oil spill disaster off Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia last week. A huge oil slick engulfed the coastal areas surrounding Moreton Island after the vessel lost cargo overboard in Cyclone Hamish, which subsequently punctured the ship and caused the spill Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

A dead fish floats in the Maroochy River on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, a week after the cargo ship Pacific Adventure caused a oil spill and lost 31 containers of ammonium nitrate in cyclonic seas off the southern Queensland Coast. An algae bloom has been detected in the river although tests carried out so far have not linked it to the shipping disaster Photograph: Dave Hunt/EPA

A flock of snow geese flies over Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. The birds are migrating from their winter area of the western Gulf Coast to their summer range of northern Alaska and Arctic Canada where they will breed Photograph: Jerome A Pollos/AP

A leopard is shot with a tranquiliser dart in the residential area of Jyotikuchi in Guwahati, the capital city of the north-eastern state of Assam. Three people were mauled by the leopard after the cat strayed into the city before it was tranquilised by forestry department officials. The full-grown male leopard was wandering through a part of the densely populated city when curious crowds startled the animal, a wildlife official said Photograph: Biju Boro/guardian.co.uk

Visitors stroll through a sea of crocuses in the park of the castle in Husum, northern Germany. According to local legend, monks in the 15th century planted the first crocuses here - today some 4.5m blossom in the spring Photograph: Heribert Proepper/AP

A kakapo, one of the world's most endangered birds, has doubled its numbers over the past decade. The critically endangered flightless parrot, which lives on a remote southern New Zealand island, has increased its headcount to 105 with the arrival of 14 chicks Photograph: Kakapo Recovery/PA

A palm tree growing in the Errachidia reservoir near the Ziz oasis. When Moroccan rivers start to dry out in the north of the Sahara desert they create spectacular oases. Huge palm trees grow around the water, and the Berbers cultivate the surrounding land through channelled irrigation systems Photograph: Rafael Marchante/Reuters

A beaver in its enclosure at the Wildwood Trust in Herne Bay, Kent. Beavers could be successfully re-introduced to England and could help restore and conserve rivers and floodplains, the UK government's ecological advisers said this week Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

Wires and a fishing net are reflected in the emerald-green water of the the strictly protected langur sanctuary of Cat Ba Island, 150km east of Hanoi, northern Vietnam. There are estimated to be 60 to 70 Cat Ba langurs left on the island. Also known as golden-headed langurs, they are endemic to Cat Ba Island and are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the world's most critically endangered primate species after being heavily poached for trade in traditional medicines Photograph: Dai Kurokawa/EPA

A Cat Ba langur climbing up a rocky cliff Photograph: Dai Kurokawa/EPA

Cherry blossom in full bloom at a park in London, UK. London saw glorious spring weather this week with temperatures reaching 16-17C Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

A baby tuatara is held by a staff at the Karori wildlife sanctuary in Wellington, New Zealand. The juvenile hatchling of the rare reptile with lineage dating back to the dinosaur age was found on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in about 200 years Photograph: Tom Lynch/AP

A bush fire burns on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Parts of the national park were damaged as gale force south-easterly winds and hot, dry weather fanned the blaze. There have been hundreds of bush fires across the province in recent weeks Photograph: Nic Bothma/EPA

A young elephant holds onto the tail of another elephant as they walk during Thailand's National Elephant day at Ayutthaya Elephant Palace & Royal Kraal, 80km (50m) north of Bangkok Photograph: Sukree Sukplang/Reuters