The 18th Annual Buda County Fair and Weiner Dog Races was held at city park in Buda Sunday April 26, 2015 sponsored by the Lions Club. (Photo by Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman)

A lion statue that sits outside the New York Public Library building wears a mask in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., September 28, 2020. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

A child and any Asiatic Lion look at each other through a glass at Rome's Zoo, Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Photo by Gregorio Borgia/AP Photo)

A novice Bhutanese monk sleeps after hours of prayer waiting for class to be over at the Dechen Phodrang monastery October 18, 2011 in Thimphu, Bhutan. The monks average about 10 hours of study a day waking up at 5:00am. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

Dancers Amy Hadley and Bethany Kingsley-Garner from the Scottish Ballet wait backstage during the dress rehearsal of the current production of “Sleeping Beauty” at the Theatre Royal on December 16, 2011 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

An artist performs with a lion during the presentation of the new international show “Extreme arena” at the Ukrainian National Circus in Kiev, Ukraine, 15 September 2016. The show will be staged from 15 September to 11 December 2016. (Photo by Roman Pilipey/EPA)

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and these striking images of 2017 are no exception. The photo highlights include incredible snapshots of the natural world as well as some awesome animal and human encounters. The vibrant gallery also shows thrill-seekers pushing themselves to the limit with breathtaking stunts captured in perfect clarity. The pictures have been taken by a host of photographers from around the world. Here: The two lion cubs singing their hearts out at Antelope park in Zimbabwe. (Photo by David Jenkins/Caters News Agency)

A woman dressed as the Wizard of Oz’s Dorothy walks her dog dressed as the Cowardly Lion as they attend the annual Congressional Dog Costume Parade on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 27, 2021. (Photo by Jim Watson/AFP Photo)