Akasha, a two-year-old female Bengal tiger, swims after a chunk of meat thrown into her pool at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, May 5, 2011. Unlike most cats, tigers enjoy the water and with the hot temperatures in the area, the park's cats can often be seen lounging in the water.Nancy Chan—Six Flags Discovery Kingdom/Reuters
Whether cute and cuddly, wild or exotic, animals hold a fascination in all humans. BBC wildlife documentaries and National Geographic stories come to mind when recalling great animal imagery, but animal magic is not only confined to natural habitat—it extends to a life of domesticity or captivity, a life where constant surprises and intriguing photography of our furry and feathered friends can be found on a daily basis. In the first of an occasional series, LightBox presents a broad selection of recent news images that reveal the endless wonder of the animal kingdom.
Akasha, a two-year-old female Bengal tiger, swims after a chunk of meat thrown into her pool at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California, May 5, 2011. Unlike most cats, tigers enjoy the water and with the hot temperatures in the area, the park's cats can often be seen lounging in the water. Nancy Chan—Six Flags Discovery Kingdom/ReutersThese sardines have had their chips as they are picked off by sailfish at the Isla Mujeres in Mexico on April 18, 2011.Daniel Botelho—National News/Zuma PressRiders and horses of the Epona Spanish Riding School perform in the Court of the Lions of the Royal Castle of Budapest, Hungary, Saturday evening, May 7, 2011. The riding school started its weekly performances, from May to October, with the aim to evoke the long lost classical tradition of the pre-war Spanish Riding School of the Hungarian Royal Guards. Bela Szandelszky—APSteam rises off a horse as it gets a bath after a morning workout at Churchill Downs on Thursday, May 5, 2011, in Louisville, Ky. Charlie Riedel—APThe eye of an elephant at the Maesa Elephant Camp in Chiang Mai, Thailand, 24 March 2011. Jens Kalaene—NewscomA new species of fish named "Heteroconger" photographed on May 8, 2011 off the resort island of Bali. Scientists from Conservation International have discovered eight new fish and one new coral species off Indonesia's Bali Island. Indonesia is a massive archipelago of 17,000 islands which are home to rich marine biodiversity. Conservation international Indonesia/AFP/Getty ImagesA Cuban blue cat is pictured in its enclosure in Havana May 25, 2011. Cuban cat lovers believe there is a newly identified breed of short-hair cat they call the Cuban blue. Uriarte Rubio, president of the Cuban Association of Cat Enthusiasts, is spearheading the effort to identify the Cuban blue as a new breed and hopes it will one day take its place alongside the world's five other cat breeds known as "blues." Desmond Boylan—ReutersLolo, a black jaguar, plays with Ward, her 14-month-old spotted cub, inside their enclosure at the zoo in Amman May 12, 2011. Ali Jarekji—ReutersA trained monkey wears a mask during a Topeng Monyet (Monkey Mask) show, a traditional Indonesian street performance, in east Jakarta April 25, 2011. Karmini, a monkey trainer who has four trained monkeys, said his group can collect $10 a day for their performance. Beawiharta—ReutersA Mexican Coyote that had been rescued with other animals while being trafficked illegally, is seen through the bars of an enclosure at the Federal Wildlife Conservation Center on the outskirts of Mexico City May 20, 2011. According to Mexico's Federal Wildlife Conservation Department, at least 2,500 different animals are rescued annually in the country, 70 percent from illegal animal trafficking within and outside the country and 30 percent from domestic captivity. Carlos Jasso—ReutersTwo Herens cows lock horns during the annual "Battle of the Queens" cow fight finals in Aproz, in the western Alpine canton of Valais May 8, 2011. Each year when taken to the alpine pastures, the cows test their strength and fight for the herd's leadership. The competition continues until a new queen has forced all the other cows to retreat. Valentin Flauraud—ReutersPainted dogs eat a beef carcass in their new enclosure at Chester Zoo, northern England, April 5, 2011. The animals, which are also known as African Wild Dogs, are on display at the zoo for the first time after recently arriving from a zoo in Sweden.Phil Noble—ReutersDogs wander around the town of Minami Soma, inside the deserted evacuation zone established around the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex in northeastern Japan, April 7, 2011. Hiro Komae—APA snake swims as floodwaters slowly rise in Holly Grove, Arkansas May 10, 2011. Eric Thayer—ReutersA U.S. Army soldier with the 10th Special Forces Group and his military working dog jump off the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment during water training over the Gulf of Mexico as part of exercise Emerald Warrior 2011 in this U.S. military handout image from March 1, 2011. Manuel J. Martinez—U.S. Air Force/ReutersMay 27, 2011. An aerial view of Kabul city is seen from atop a hill as a street dog walks in Kabul, Afghanistan.Mustafa Quraishi—APA swan walks through a green field on April 12, 2011 in Kamp-Lintfort, Germany. Swans are among the largest flying birds and are native to temperate environments around the world. Roland Weihrauch—AFP/Getty ImagesA white peacock looks on from a cage on a warm spring day in a park in Bucharest, Romania, on May 24, 2011. Romania is experiencing temperatures higher than usual for this time of year.Vadim Ghirda—AP
