A Nepalese girl in traditional attire takes part in Kumari Puja, a mass worship ceremony for preteen girls, in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 27, 2023. In Nepal, Kumari Puja is the tradition of selecting a Kumari, usually a preadolescent girl, to worship symbolically as a goddess. More than hundred girls under the age of nine from across the country gathered for the mass worship. Performing Kumari Puja for three continuous years is believed to protect the girls from diseases throughout their entire life. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)

A cosplayer poses during Day 2 of London MCM Comic Con 2019 at ExCel on May 25, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Dredd/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A former living goddess Kumari, middle, watches the Indra Jatra festival, an eight-day festival that honors Indra, the Hindu god of rain, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, September 13, 2019. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

Gold medalist Jesper Pedersen of Norway with silver medalist Rene de Silvestro of Italy and bronze medalist Liang Zilu of China are seen during the flower ceremony for the Para Alpine Skiing, Men's Giant Slalom Sitting on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

A person holds an umbrella against strong wind and rain as he walks on a street Friday, June 2, 2023, in Kawasaki near Tokyo, as a tropical storm was approaching. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

Participants of the “Lady in red“ procession, marking the day of the Summer Solstice, walk on a promenade of the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk, Russia on June 22, 2019. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

American actress Paris Jackson pulls faces at photographers during the “Melbourne Cup” race day festivities in Melbourne, Australia on November 7, 2017. (Photo by Media-Mode/Splash News and Pictures)