Best photos of the week
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now open for submissions!
Here is the first gallery of entrants: 
? A spotted hyena pops its head out of the carcass of a giraffe that had died while giving birth. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Nitin Michael
? “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. A bull elephant in Nxai Pan douses himself in the white powder so iconic of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans network in Botswana © Melanie van Zyl.
? A southern ground-hornbill snacks on a grasshopper. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana © Willem Kruger
? A massive dust storm brings this thirsty wildebeest to water. Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana © Kevin Dooley
? A saddle-billed stork with a mudfish in the Sand River. Ulusaba Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Anthony Goldman
? Portrait of a young cheetah. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Ivan Glaser
? “Disappearing textures”. A Temminck’s ground pangolin is released back into the wild after being confiscated from the illegal wildlife trafficking trade © Jo Taylor
? A yellow-billed hornbill waits his turn to try and steal the biscuits I was enjoying with my morning coffee. Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa © Jo Taylor
? A brown hyena tries to intimidate black-backed jackals at an eland carcass – that was killed the night before by lions – by raising its hair to look bigger. Kij Kij waterhole, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana © Willem Kruger
? A coalition of lions intently focus on potential prey. Ndutu, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania © Marino Bilato
? Kudu bull at sunset. Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe © Ralph Stutchbury
? A male leopard makes his way to higher ground after a morning drink at the waterhole. Thornybush Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Michael Raddal
? A crested francolin on a windy day. Karongwe Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Willem Kruger
? A spotted hyena makes off with a zebra leg. Welgevonden Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Michael Wessels
? A coalition of five male cheetahs successfully takes down a wildebeest. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Diana Knight
? A battle between a small monitor lizard and a baboon spider. After about 15 minutes, the lizard eventually took control and overpowered the spider and carried it off. Kruger National Park, South Africa © Ruggiero Barreto
? A Coqui francolin slinks across the road. Pilanesberg National Park, South Africa © Jo Taylor
? A mother elephant comes to the rescue to save her calf from a lioness. Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe © Kevin Dooley
? A mother cheetah with her thirsty cubs. Etosha National Park, Namibia © Kevin Dooley
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