Europe’s zookeepers share their funniest photos of the year

Zookeepers from across Europe have shared their funny animal photos of the year in an annual competition. The amazing pictures came from zoos and wildlife parks across the UK, France and Denmark. The informal competition is run by Facebook page Zoo Keepers Europe, which has 14,500 members from across the continent. Some of the UK’s best entries included a cheekily laughing Barbary macaque in Colchester Zoo, a shocked lemur from West Lothian, and a stunning snow leopard from the Scottish Highlands.

Cheeky smiles are the specialty of Sagro the Barbary macaque, who lives at Colchester Zoo. His zookeeper Lisa Davis shot this hilarious picture of him grinning into the camera.

This Red Panda closed its eyes in bless as it smelled flowers at the Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian in a picture taken by Ryan Colman.

Zookeeper Joanna Burch took this photo of two white rhinos seemingly getting it on at Colchester zoo this year.

ZSL London Zoo’s Gulid the dwarf mongoose curiously looked into the lens of Zookeeper Ruth Sutherland, who took this adorable picture.

Millie Sewell took the photo on the left of Blossom, the curious European Badger living at British Wildlife Centre in East Surrey. ‘She has slight wonky nose as the result of a car accident before she was rescued as a cub,’ Ms Sewell said.

Rodrigues the Fruit Bat at Tropical Butterfly House wildlife conservation park near Sheffield likes to hangout upside down, as the photo on the right taken by Ellie Latham shows.

Howler monkey Mayantu was caught by zookeeper Lorena Jota Hickey as he stuffed a watermelon into his mouth at the Zoo de Beauval in France.

These adorable arctic wolf cubs were captured by Christina Christensen as they were playing at the Knuthenborg Safari Park in Denmark.

Judith Bowman took the mesmerising photo on the left of a Snow Leopard at Highland Wildlife Park.

Bellatrix the Black Hornbill curiously (right) looks into the camera of Natalie Marshall at Birdworld in Farnham.

A shocked ring tail lemur was captured by zookeeper Ryan Colman at Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian.

Gren-crowned crane Kwanza took a stance while being photographed by Zoe Michelle Cropper at Noah’s Ark Farm in Clevedon.

Ash and Friston the Eurasian Lynxes (left) demonstrated their roar to Emma Reekie at Drusillas Park in Sussex.

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