Attracting more than 450 entries from around the world, the winners are selected by a panel of expert judges including ZSL honorary conservation fellow and television presenter Kate Humble, and renowned ornithologist Bill Oddie. Here: Anoura Geoffroy’s tailless bat by Nicolas Reusens. The Perfect Moment category; Adult runner up. (Photo by Nicolas Reusens/ZSL Animal Photography Prize 2015)

Buddhist novice poses for a picture while monks gather to receive alms at Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple, in what organizers said was a meeting of over 100,000 monks, in Pathum Thani, outside Bangkok April 22, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Women look at a collapsed building caused by earthquakes, in Bhaktapur, Nepal, May 18, 2015. Nepal is facing billions in reconstruction costs with almost 745,600 buildings and homes damaged or destroyed, including at least 87,700 in the capital, according to Nepal's emergency authority. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)

Indian artist, Ravi Kali (32), dressed as Hindu goddess Kali, participates in a religious procession for the Hindu festival, Ganesh Chaturthi in New Delhi on September 24, 2015. (Photo by Chandan Khanna/AFP Photo)

A girl rides on a train as she takes part in the first edition of the No Pants Subway Ride in Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, January 11, 2015. The No Pants Subway Ride is an annual which was started in 2002 by Improv Everywhere in New York, the goal is for riders to get on the subway train dressed in normal winter clothes without pants and keep a straight face. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

Tuvalu Beneath the Rising Tide by Sean Gallagher, Tuvalu. Changing environments prize: Fallen trees lie on a beach as the waves from the Funafuti lagoon in Tuvalu lap around them. Land erosion has always been a problem for the South Pacific country but problems are intensifying as sea levels rise. Rising seas are on the verge of completely submerging the tiny archipelago’s islands. (Photo by Sean Gallagher/CIWEM Environmental Photographer of the Year 2019)

Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

Hindu women apply “sindhur”, or vermillion powder, on the face of a woman after worshipping the idol of the Hindu goddess Durga on the last day of the Durga Puja festival in Chandigarh, India October 11, 2016. (Photo by Ajay Verma/Reuters)