Orphaned baby rhinos seen on August 28, 2014 in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Ngare Ndare Forest, Kenya. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya is hand-raising three orphaned baby rhinos; Nicky, Hope and Kilifi. Baby rhino Hope was rescued by rangers when the poachers killed his mother – now he is been taken care off 24 hours-a-day at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The wildlife reserve hit the headlines when Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton there in 2010. Rhinos around the world are becoming extinct as a result of the brutal poaching fuelled by an illegal international market for their horns. (Photo by Luca Ghidoni/Barcroft Media)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, since it can only hold a limited number of people at a time and visits can't be reserved in advance. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

While communism, collectivism, worms, dry rot and casual looting failed to destroy the majestic wooden churches of Russia, it may be ordinary neglect that finally does them in. Dwindled now to several hundred remaining examples, these glories of vernacular architecture lie scattered amid the vastness of the world’s largest country. Just over a decade ago, Richard Davies, a British architectural photographer, struck out on a mission to record the fragile and poetic structures. Austerely beautiful and haunting, “Wooden Churches: Traveling in the Russian North” (White Sea Publishing; $132) is the result. Covering thousands of miles, Mr. Davies described how he and the writer Matilda Moreton tracked down the survivors from among the thousands of onion-domed structures built after Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988.

Bendy bombshell Zlata, 27, can use a computer while doing a handstand, deliver a presentation with her head tucked between her legs and bend over backwards to create a table. The stunning German, real name Julia Gunthel, shows her flexibility by creating a different theme for her head-turning calendars each year. (Photo by Zlata Calendar 2013/Caters News Agency)

A model showcases designs on the catwalk during Eternal Color Xie Ping Collection A/W 2012-2013 of China Fashion Week at Beijing Hotel on March 27, 2012 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Hwang Bo-young (L), a North Korean defector who was a member of the North Korean National female ice hockey team, prepares for practice with South Korean teammates on March 13, 2006 in Seoul, South Korea. Young, 27-years-old, became a captain of the South Korean National Female Ice Hockey Team. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

People walk past a mural depicting Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen in the mainly protestant area of East Belfast on June 23, 2011 in Northern Ireland. The Short Strand and Newtonards Road areas of East Belfast remained mostly peaceful after Protestant and Catholics groups were involved in a stand-off overnight. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Victorian and Australian women's cricket team representative Meg Lanning dives for a catch during a photo shoot at Quarry Park on October 27, 2011 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images)