A newborn giraffe – pictured here in Kenya’s
Maasai Mara Reserve – stands nearly two
metres in height. Though able to run within
hours of birth, it spends most of its first two
weeks in hiding. Females kick fiercely to
defend their single calf against predators.
Three brown bear cubs climb on
their mother’s back as she cools
off in a river in Katmai National
Park, Alaska. A female bear mates
with various males during her
two-week oestrus period, so these
cubs may have different fathers.February 2017 57