An iguana in Bali helped Julij Kopilović, age eight, from Slovenia, earn second runner-up in Amazing Animals. (Photo by Julij Kopilović/National Geographic)

A walrus kisses a visitor during a sea animal show at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, Monday, September 11, 2017. (Photo by Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Photo)

Shoppers walk past crocodiles for sale at a market in Bata on February 3, 2015. Markets in Equatorial Guinea sell a variety of animals including pangolins, monkeys and crocodiles as food. (Photo by Carl de Souza/AFP Photo)

This photo taken on March 3, 2020 shows a tattooed Chin ethnic woman smoking at her house decorated with animal skulls in a village of Chin State, western Myanmar. (Photo by Sai Aung Main/AFP Photo)

This image released by Disney shows Mena Massoud as Aladdin, left, and Will Smith as Genie in Disney's live-action adaptation of the 1992 animated classic “Aladdin”. (Photo by Daniel Smith/Disney via AP Photo)

A cosplayer dressed as the actress Lucy Liu, as depicted in the animated series Futurama, poses for a photo at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, U.S., July 23, 2022. (Photo by Bing Guan/Reuters)

British singer-songwriter Rita Ora has her knickers in a twist as she gets animated backstage at a music festival in Lithuania in the last decade of July 2024. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)

These beautiful photos capture the tender moments between two young boys who share a unique bond with animals. Elena Shumilova, from Andreapol, Russia, began taking pictures of her sons Yaroslav and Vanya in early 2012 when she received her first professional camera. The pair were immediately accepted by the animals from a young age and their incredible bond continues to strengthen as they get older. Elena, 32, was able to capture images her boys playing with such animals as rabbits, dogs, cats and ducks as they become totally immersed in their communication with their furry friends. (Photo by Elena Shumilova)