A Hong Kong Vegetarian Society activists lies on a giant plate alongside oversized peas, carrots and cutlery during a protest rally in the tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, China, 23 December 2015. The activists urged passers-by to extend the holiday spirit to animals and to give thoughts to the cruelty inflicted on animals in meat productions. (Photo by Jerome Favre/EPA)

“Centuries ago, Inuit hunted the bowhead whale. At that time, whale hunting undoubtedly was part of a complex and very important ritual, if only because of the size of the catch. The position that the ancestors of today's Inuit occupied in the living world involved a relationship with the spirit that inhabited each animal but also their species”. (Photo by Robert Frechette/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

A woman poses by “Leaf Spirit” by Simon Gudgeon at the FORM 24 show at Sculpture by the Lakes, on April 02, 2024 in Dorchester, England. The award-winning sculpture show runs from April 2 to June 1, with works by more than 35 leading contemporary sculptors exhibited throughout 26-acres of lakes, rivers, gardens, and woodlands as well as in the Gallery and The Retreat. FORM includes a series of talks and events to accompany the exhibition, including “Meet the Artist” Q&A sessions with exhibiting sculptors, workshops and demonstrations. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

Aymara dolls are seen during the “Alasitas” fair, where people buy miniature versions of goods they hope to acquire in real life, in La Paz, Bolivia, January 24, 2017. Shoppers fill their baskets with miniature versions of things they desire – everything from cars, houses computers – to give to Ekeko the God of abundance, in the hope he will being therm good fortune. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

A Syrian boy plays with the head of a sacrificed sheep at a DIP camp for Interally Displaced Persons near the town of Aqrabat in Syria's northern Idlib province on August 12, 2019. Known as the “big” festival, Eid Al-Adha is celebrated each year by Muslims sacrificing various animals according to religious traditions, including cows, camels, goats and sheep. The festival marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and commemorates Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. (Photo by Aaref Watad/AFP Photo)

A local resident dressed as Yamraj or Hindu god of death, wearing a novel coronavirus-themed balloon necklace, gestures as he poses during an awareness about social distancing and staying at home organised by Delhi police during a nationwide lockdown to slow the spreading of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in New Delhi, India, April 28, 2020. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Natural world and wildlife shortlist. Lop Buri in Thailand is home to hundreds of macaques, which local residents consider to be disciples of the Hindu god Hanuman. While some people love them, others fear or even hate them. Despite the inconvenience they often cause, the macaques are generally respected and considered sacred. (Photo by Joan de la Malla/Sony World Photography Awards)

“I was on Durga Puja Festival vacation, travelling on a local train. A boy was singing devotional song and begging for alms. He was guised as a Hindu god, Lord Shiva. This is a common view in Indian trains but this boy was charming, bright and did have a melodious voice. My camera was ready hanging on my neck so I took a picture”. (Photo and caption by Arup Ghosh/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)