The Conversation (0)
A beaver is released into the wild in a nature reserve in England under a new licensing system announced by the Government (Andrew Matthews/PA)
PA Archive/PA Images - Andrew Matthews
From the first official return of beavers into the wild in England in more than 400 years, to the innovative use of a mobile CT scan to investigate a tiger’s medical issues, 2025 has been another eventful year in the animal world.
As well as the regular weigh-ins and stocktakes at zoos and wildlife parks across the UK, there was stiff competition in the new Best Bridgerton Lookalike category at a London dog show over the summer, and some hard graft put in by police dogs carrying out security checks in Windsor ahead of the state visit by US President Donald Trump in September.
Here are some of our animal highlights for 2025.
A young grey seal scratches against a post in the dunes at Horsey, in Norfolk, in January as the pupping season drew to a close at one of the UK’s most important sites for the mammals (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens
A zookeeper takes a stool sample from Spud, a seven-year-old male rhinoceros, during the annual animal health check and stocktake at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in Surrey (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller
A short-eared owl takes a break from hunting in the morning sunshine over grassland near Deal in Kent in February (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Gareth Fuller
Italian greyhounds were among thousands of canines and owners to attend Crufts Dog Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in March (Joe Giddens/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Joe Giddens
Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office Larry the cat takes centre stage on the red carpet in Downing Street, London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jordan Pettitt
Meanwhile, competition was stiff at the Corgi Derby at Musselburgh Racecourse in East Lothian – part of the Easter Saturday race-day celebrations (Lesley Martin/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Lesley Martin
Noinin, a seven-year-old female Rothschild’s giraffe, mixes with the rest of the herd at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling after arriving from an Irish wildlife park in May as part of the European Endangered Species Programme (Andrew Milligan/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Andrew Milligan
A Red Kite hunts near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire (James Manning/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - James Manning
Charlotte the French Bulldog enters the Bridgerton Award at the Greenwich Dog Show, held at the Old Royal Naval College in south-east London (James Manning/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - James Manning
Kumal, a male Jaguar, cools off in the hot June weather with a swim in the pool in his Hertfordshire Zoo enclosure (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller
A falconer carries birds of prey into the arena during the Legendary Joust at Pendennis Castle in Falmouth in August (Ben Birchall/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Ben Birchall
Police dog Jack helps carry out security searches in Windsor ahead of the state visit by US president Donald Trump in September (Jordan Pettitt/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jordan Pettitt
Luca, an Amur tiger, is prepared for a CT scan at the Big Cat Sanctuary near Ashford in Kent in October. It was the first time a mobile unit had been used at the site (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller
Meerkat pups enjoy their first Halloween with a pumpkin at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling (Andrew Milligan/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Andrew Milligan
Final preparations are made to the Shire horses pulling the Lord Mayor of the City of London’s state coach during the Lady Mayor’s Show 2025 in November (David Parry/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - David Parry
More than 100 dogs in festive outfits and their owners assembled for the Santa Paws Christmas event in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh in December (Jane Barlow/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jane Barlow
Top 100
