An indigenous girl carries a monkey inside her house in their village at Xingu national park in Mato Grosso, Brazil, October 2, 2015. The Kamayura tribe consists of around 300 people, and is one of the 16 ethnic groups living in the indigenous Xingu national park. (Photo by Paulo Whitaker/Reuters)

A monkey jumps from a branch at Yangon Zoological Gardens in Yangon, Myanmar, 06 April 2016. Yangon Zoological Gardens (Yangon Zoo) is the oldest and second largest zoo in Myanmar. (Photo by Lynn Bo Bo/EPA)

A workman jokes besides a work entitled “Monkey Detonator” by Banksy at Bonhams Auction house on September 16, 2011 in London, England. The piece makes up part of the “Urban Art” sale, and is expected to fetch between £70,000 - £90,000 GBP when it goes under the hammer on September 21, 2001 at Bonhams Auction house in London. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A couple of monkeys look from inside their cage at a rescue and rehabilitation center in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, November 22, 2014. Elba Munoz who runs the center, says that one of the goals of the Center for the Rescue and Rehabilitation of Primates is to stop the trafficking of the animals. (Photo by Luis Hidalgo/AP Photo)

Winner – Animal Portraits: The pose by Mogens Trolle, Denmark. A young male proboscis monkey cocks his head slightly and closes his eyes. Unexpected pale blue eyelids now complement his immaculately groomed auburn hair. He poses for a few seconds as if in meditation. He is a wild visitor to the feeding station at Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Sabah, Borneo – “the most laid-back character”, says Trolle, “quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen on another monkey” – connects us, he hopes, with a fellow primate. (Photo by Mogens Trolle/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020)

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)