It was a big week for animal lovers here at National Geographic, as a number of our most-read stories focused on wildlife. Readers devoured our reporting on the comeback of the world’s last wild horses and what happened when sharks were given toys. But it was a profile of Iain Douglas-Hamilton, the legendary zoologist and defender of elephants who passed this week, that made me tear up. Two health stories also captured your attention: one about what medical experts want caffeine drinkers to know and one on a little-known diet that slashes risk of heart disease.

—William O’Connor, Newsletter Editor 

Photojournalist Ami Vitale followed Przewalski’s horses—once declared extinct in the wild—on a 2,000-mile journey back to their ancestral home. (And only one tried to escape.)

Today’s newsletter was edited and curated by William O'Connor and produced by Alisher Egamov. Let us know if you have suggestions and sign up here to get the Photo of the Week on Sundays.