A man holds a gun under his chin as he speaks with members of the NYPD outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, U.S., December 2, 2021. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

Aubrey Zimmermann, 9-months-old, poses for a photo with Santa at the Willow Grove Park Mall ahead of Christmas in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, U.S. December 3, 2021. (Photo by Hannah Beier/Reuters)

An emotional former President George Bush, sniffs after touching the flag-draped casket of his father, former President George H.W. Bush, during his State Funeral at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, December 5, 2018, in Washington. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters)

A member of Korean Federation for Environmental Movement in a Santa Claus outfit attaches dumped cigarette butts at a cigarette butt Christmas tree in front of Korea Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation office in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, December 23, 2019. The environmental activist group called for a ban on the use of plastic for cigarette filters as part of efforts to protect the environment from toxic plastic pollution. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)

Revellers take part in the Els Enfarinats festival, in the town of Ibi near Alicante, Spain, Saturday December 28, 2019. For about 200-years the inhabitants of Ibi annually celebrate with a battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers, outside the city town hall. (Photo by Alberto Saiz/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation at a metro station during a show opening the Moscow Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia on October 22, 2019. (Photo by Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters)

Visitors wear traditional hanbok dress as they walk on the grounds of the Gyeongbokgung Palace after a snowfall in Seoul on January 17, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)