This week in wildlife - the best pictures of animals around the world

Take a look at some of the best images of wildlife from the past week

A red deer stag and hind caress in Richmond park at sunrise in south west London. AFP

A staff member feeding a Tasmanian devil joey in mainland Australia. Tasmanian devils have been released into the wild on Australia's mainland 3,000 years after the feisty marsupials went extinct there, in what conservationists described on October 5 as a "historic" step. AFP / Aussie Ark

Chris Hemsworth and wife Elsa Pataky release Tasmanian devils into the wild at Barrington Tops, Australia. Aussie Ark/Reuters

A Tasmanian devil walking in the wild in mainland Australia. AFP / Aussie Ark

Tasmanian devils are released into the wild at Barrington Tops, New South Wales state, Australia. WildArk via AP

A whale is seen near the Faslane nuclear submarine base in Gare Loch as rescuers raced to herd a group of whales out of a Scottish loch ahead of major military exercises in Scotland, Britain. Reuters

Bees suck nectar from a Night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), one of its favorites, at the end of spring in San Salvador. AFP

A red deer stag roars in Richmond park during its breeding season, or the rut, in south west London. AFP

Two endangered southern Asian peregrine falcons sit in a cage after Italian finance police stopped an Italian citizen at Rome's Fiumicino airport who was trying to smuggle them into the country, in Rome, Italy. Guardia di Finanza/Handout via Reuters

A crocodile enters in the water at the Yala National Park in the southern district of Yala, some 250 km southwest of Colombo, Sri Lanka. AFP

Sri Lankan elephants walk in the water at the Yala National Park in the southern district of Yala, some 250 km southwest of Colombo. AFP

A leopard is pictured at the Yala National Park in the southern district of Yala, some 250 km southwest of Colombo. AFP

California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) staff evaluates a bear, as it is treated for burns suffered from the Bear Fire in Butte County, at the Wildlife Investigations Lab, California, U.S., September 21, 2020. California Department of Fish and Wildlife/Handout via Reuters

Veterinarian Dr. Jamie Peyton sutures sterilized tilapia skins on to a bear's burned paw pads, after medications have been applied, as it is treated for burns suffered from the Bear Fire in Butte County, at the Wildlife Investigations Lab, California, US, September 21, 2020. California Department of Fish and Wildlife/Handout via Reuters

A person feeds peanuts to a grey squirrel in Washington Square Park in New York City. AFP / Angela Weiss

Wild boars walk at a beach in Miedzyzdroje, northwestern Poland. EPA

More wildlife and environment stories from The National:

At least 40 dolphins die after Mauritius oil spill

International Dog Day: UAE residents share stories of their rescue dogs

Locust swarm signal identified in step towards curbing plagues

Spate of bushires at Kenya’s biggest national parks leaves staff suspecting arson

Endangered tigers seen in Thailand after four-year absence