About a dozen dogs traded in their leashes for life vests Saturday for the chance to ride the waves at Jupiter beach as part of a canine surfing competition to raise money for an animal rescue group. Photo: Musso paddles in with Jengo. (Photo by Taylor Jones/The Palm Beach Post)

Decorative model Elephants stand in Trafalgar Square on May 4, 2010 in London, England. 260 of the decorative life size baby Elephants have been designed by established and emerging artists including Paul Smith, Marc Quinn and Julien Macdonald and have been placed across the capital in prominent places such as Buckingham Palace, Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

A coffin in the shape of a skip is displayed at the South bank Centre on January 20, 2012 in London, England. A collection of bespoke coffins by “Crazy Coffins” in Nottingham and the famous “Pa Joe” workshop in Ghana are currently on display at the South Bank centre, who are currently running a festival celebrating life and death. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

At the end of rice harvesting season, the folks of the Kagawa and Niigata Prefectures in Japan hold a straw festival to celebrate the abundance of the harvest. Dried straws cover wooden frames to form larger-than-life sculptures from animals like sharks and gorillas to vessels such as ships and tanks. The family-friendly event invites visitors of all ages to engage, interact, and play on the enormous structures.

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)