The world’s best animal photos from 2014 - in pictures

An employee feeds a one-week-old coati cub with a bottle of milk at the Royev Ruchey zoo in the suburbs of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. Ilya Naymushin / Reuters

Kamchatka Brown Bear Mascha stands beside a Christmas tree, decorated with fruits and fish, at Hagenbecks zoo in Hamburg. Fabian Bimmer / Reuters

A three-month-old macaque bites its toe in front of a fan heater at a wildlife park in Kunming, Yunnan province. Wong Campion / Reuters

A Western Lowland Gorilla named Mbeli holds her baby in their enclosure at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo. David Gray / Reuters

A firefighter holds a red panda (Ailurus fulgens) from its tail while removing it from a tree at a residential area in Kunming, Yunnan province. Reuters

A 27-year-old white polar bear named Uslada shakes off water in her pool at the Leningrad Zoo in St. Petersburg. Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters

A male red deer with antlers covered in bracken, walks through undergrowth in Richmond Park in south west London. Toby Melville / Reuters

A family of giraffes look out from their enclosure before taking part in a Christmas-themed feeding session at Sydney’s Taronga Park Zoo. Jason Reed / Reuters

Two unnamed female Sri Lankan baby leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) are seen in a zoo in Maubeuge. Yves Herman / Reuters

A Northern Cardinal sits on a tree branch in falling snow in the New York City suburb of Nyack, New York. Mike Segar / Reuters

Taiga the polar bear grabs a tree branch at the Quebec Aquarium in Quebec City. Mathieu Belanger / Reuters

Newborn giant panda triplets are seen inside an incubator at the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. Reuters

Keeper Ben Baker looks at a Bell’s Anglehead Lizard as it sits on the end of his pencil during a photocall for the annual stocktake at Chester Zoo in Chester, northern England. Phil Noble / Reuters

Reuters has selected this year’s best images of animals from around the world.