Animal Photos Of The Week

This week saw the tragic death of a zookeeper in Germany. A 43-year-old female was killed by a tiger after a "gate wasn't properly shut," according to AP. Not all zoo news was bad this week, however. The Philadelphia Zoo recently began opening enclosed trails around its property, allowing primates to "leave the confines of their exhibits and travel throughout the property," explained AP.

The zoo's general curator, Kim Lengel, said, "They get to see everything that's happening in the zoo. They get to travel, they can climb trees, and they really take advantage of it. And if they're tired of it, they go back inside."

In South Africa, the story of Solly, a 4-year-old hippo that became trapped in a swimming pool, ended tragically. The young hippo had been chased from his herd and ended up in a pool. Despite plans to rescue him, a vet reportedly arrived too late. According to AP, the manager of the game preserve where Solly became stuck said, "It started out as a happy story and now it's a tragic story. It's devastating."

The mystery behind the deer that have moved between islands in Hawaii was finally solved this week. A helicopter pilot pled guilty to illegally flying axis deer from Maui to the Big Island, reported AP. The man and his accomplices also allegedly transported non-native mouflon sheep between the islands. Accoridng to AP, the animals don't have natural predators and "Their presence has damaged fragile native ecosystems and farms on the islands where they've become established."

Below, find some of the best animal photos taken around the world this week: