Racegoers react as they leave after the second day of the Grand National meeting at Aintree, northern England April 5, 2013. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Reuters)

ATTENTION: VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY AND DEATH

P.S. All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews)

Muslims pray at the top of Mount Al-Noor during their Umrah Mawlid al-Nabawi “Birthday of Prophet Mohammad” in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia January 16, 2016. Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad received the first words of the Koran through Gabriel, at the top of Mount Al-Noor in the holy city of Mecca. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

These kaleidoscopic images showcase the sheer beauty of the mammoth firework displays held across Japan every summer. The Japanese word for fireworks, hanabi, means fire flower, and each year, local governments in Japan throw around 7,000 festivals, or hanabi taikai. Here: Tsuchiura National Fireworks Competition, Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki Prefecture. (Photo by Makoto Igari/Caters News Agency)

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)

Commander, a German Shepherd adult (L) and Ziva, a German Shepherd puppy attend as American Kennel Club announces Most Popular Dogs in the U.S. at American Kennel Club Offices on February 28, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for AKC)

A police officer lies on the street after being run over by a bus during a protest against the increase in the price of public transport in San Cristobal, Venezuela March 29, 2016. (Photo by Carlos Eduardo Ramirez/Reuters)

A mob attacks a female police officer accused of shooting a protester in the Buterere neighborhood of Bujumbura, Burundi, May 12, 2015. Protesters opposed to the president's decision to run for a third term chased, beat and stoned the woman, who was later handed back to the police. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

A truck filled with 500 cats thought to be destined for restaurants was intercepted on Wednesday in Xuzhou, eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. Officer Sun Hai said he and a colleague pulled the vehicle over during a routine traffic check. The officer commented, “The driver said it was a full load of rabbit, but after we instructed him to uncover the load we were shocked to find a full load of living cats.