These poignant portraits look to shine awareness on the plight of some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems and species of wildlife. The images combine animals, art and celebrity, with Asia's top models posing with the likes of rhinos, giraffes, leopards and marine life. Here: Mikki Yao with an Asian Elephant. (Photo by Sean Lee-Davies/Caters News)

Army soldiers prepare a military elephant for the parade during a rehearsal for Sri Lanka's 68th Independence day celebrations in Colombo, February 2, 2016. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

Visitors look at an elephant swimming in a pool at Khao Kheow Zoo in Chonburi, east of Bangkok, Thailand on February 4, 2020. (Photo by Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Hindu devotees prepare to carry an idol of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha on the first day of ten-day “Ganesh Chaturthi” festival in Mumbai on August 31, 2022. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe/AFP Photo)

A majestic elephant visits the watering hole at the Zimanga Private Game Reserve in South Africa under the Milky Way in August 2022. (Photo by Sean Weekly/Animal News Agency)

A captive elephant is made to swim for visitors at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand on September 15, 2024. (Photo by Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP Photo)

A tiny calico Scottish Fold kitten named Marimo snuggles and plays with an equally tiny baby owl named Fuku at the Hukulou Coffee House in Osaka, Japan. While the cafe is primarily focused on all things owl, the kitten is certainly getting a great deal of attention, particularly from Fuku.

In this May 12, 2017 photo, Pupy, an African elephant, stands in the doorway of his enclosure at the former city zoo now known as Eco Parque in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A year ago the 140-year old Buenos Aires zoo closed its doors and was transformed into a park. The first director decided that the animals should be housed in buildings that reflected their countries of origin. A replica of a Hindu temple was built for the Asian elephants. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)