Two brown bear cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images). 1970

Revellers take part in the annual block party known as “Casa Comigo” (Marry Me), during carnival festivities in Sao Paulo, Brazil on February 15, 2020. (Photo by Rahel Patrasso/Reuters)

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)

An Afghan vendor selling birds to be kept as pets wait for customers in his shop in Kabul on December 11, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Sahel Arman/AFP Photo)

Bollywood actress Chitrashi Rawat lies in a plastic drum as she is briefed by a crew member during the shoot for the film “Black Home” at a beach on the outskirts of Mumbai April 26, 2013. (Photo by Danish Siddiqui/Reuters)

A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Huben November 22, 2014. Each year in November and January people in the western Austria regions dress up in Perchten (also known in some regions as Krampus or Tuifl) costumes and parade through the streets to perform a 1,500 year-old pagan ritual to disperse the ghosts of winter. (Photo by Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters)

This combination of April 15, 2013 and April 2, 2014 photos show a police officer clearing Boylston Street following a bomb blast near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon, and pedestrians crossing at the same corner nearly a year later in Boston. (Photo by Charles Krupa/AP Photo)