The week in wildlife

A mandarin duck among reeds at the London Wetland Centre. The WWT London Wetland Centre, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, consists of 42 hectares of wetland and reed beds. It is considered to be one of the best and most important urban wildlife sites in Europe and is located next to the Thames in Barnes
Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

A dead fish covered with oil on a public beach in Dauphin Island, Alabama. The troubles for BP increased this week after a criminal investigation was launched and attempts to stop the leak failed
Photograph: Win McNamee/Getty Images

A Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) at the Naha-Metzabok reserve, Mexico. Three new Mexican reserves were included in the list of the World Reserve Network of the Unesco Biosphere. The organisation included the Mexican reserves of Naha-Metzabok (State of Chiapas), Marias Islands (State of Nayarit) and Los Volcanes (which has the two highest mountains in the country, the Iztaccihualt and Popocatepetl)
Photograph: Moyses Zuniga/EPA

A woman gathers roses during sunrise near the village of Rosino, Bulgaria
Photograph: Vassil Donev/EPA

Arnold Slabbert, head of the urban raptor project, releases his peregrine falcon inside the WC2010 Nelson Mandela Bay soccer stadium in Port Elizabeth, one of the venues hosting the group stages of the 2010 World Cup. Raptors, such as wild falcons and hawk are used to chase away pigeons and other pests from the stadium
Photograph: Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty

Baby eels wriggle out of a bucket while being released into the river Elbe near Bleckede, Germany. Up to 130,000 young eels were released as part of a conservation project
Photograph: Philipp Guelland/AP

Harbour seals lazing at the base of the breakwater in the port of Los Angeles look up at the launch voyage of the Aquarium of the Pacific's new 'Urban Ocean' cruise. The cruise gives passengers the chance to see the intensive and varied human uses of one of the most urbanised coastlines in the world
Photograph: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty

People dressed in inflatable whale suits pose for photographs near Sydney Opera House. The event, organised by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, publicised whale-watching season on Australia's east coast as thousands of whales migrate north to mate and calve in warmer waters
Photograph: Tim Wimborne/Reuters

Plant researchers stand near a Rafflesia patma flower at the Bogor botanical garden in West Java, Indonesia. One of the world's largest flowers, this is the first time it has reached maturity outside of its natural habitat
Photograph: Bagus Indahono/EPA

Polar bear cubs play at the St-Felicien wildlife zoo, Quebec. The zoo allowed public access to the polar bear cubs, born on 30 November 2009, for the first time on Wednesday
Photograph: Mathieu Belanger/Reuters

Short-eared owls nesting on the ground in the Scottish borders
Photograph: Angus Blackburn/Rex Features

A bear watches LA city rescue workers as they try to get him out of a tree. The bear was shot with a tranquiliser dart and suffered no injuries. It will be taken back up into mountains above Porter Ranch before being released back into the wild
Photograph: KPA/Zuma /Rex Features

Wild donkeys on the island of Asinara, Italy. The small white donkey of Asinara is an albino variant of the more common Sardinian donkey (Equus asinus)
Photograph: Angelo Cucca/AFP/Getty

A honeybee approaches the blossom of a poppy flower in Ludwigsburg, southern Germany
Photograph: Thomas Kienzle/AFP/Getty Images