Kyrgyz men on horseback compete during their traditional game of “Oodarysh” during the celebrations of the 90th anniversary formation of the Chui region in the village of Kuntu some 20 kms from Bishkek on May 27, 2016. (Photo by Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP Photo)

Actors wrapped in blankets react at the set of the post-apocalyptic movie “Zombie Era” at an abandoned factory complex in Langfang, Hebei province, China December 16, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

In a photo taken on April 2, 2020 a staff member feeds a raccoon at the Table A Raccoon Cafe in Seoul. Business has been devastated by the coronavirus outbreak, with South Koreans staying at home under social distancing guidelines, and tourism disappearing. But unlike other firms, animal cafes have to stay open so that staff can look after their stock. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

Members of the Israeli Mermaids Community bathe in the sea with a mermaid tails at the beachfront in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, May 23, 2020. Members of the Israeli mermaid community gathered at the beachfront to mark the beginning of the bathing season. (Photo by Oded Balilty/AP Photo)

Activists from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) promoting a vegan diet are pictured as people drive past in Los Angeles, California May 21, 2015. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

British singer-songwriter Rita Ora wowed her fans as she stripped off her to bikini and smeared mud on her face in the second decade of April 2022. The 31-year-old, who is thought to currently be in New Zealand, looked incredible in a series of snaps taken on the beach. (Photo by Instagram)

These brave models show no fear as they pose with bears, tigers and wolves in scenes straight from the pages of a fairy tale. The snaps show the models cuddling up to the deadly animals and even taking naps with the often unpredictable creatures. Here: “Marina with a bear”. Stepan, a 700-pound grizzly bear, was adopted by a Russian couple when he was just 3 months old. (Photo by Olga Barantseva/Caters News Agency)

From house breaking in Johannesburg to hippos on the loose in Tbilisi to rioters attacking a policewoman in Burundi, Reuters photographers tell the story behind some of the most iconic pictures of the year. Here: Protesters drag a female police officer accused of shooting a protester in the Buterere neighbourhood of Bujumbura, Burundi, May 12, 2015. Goran Tomasevic: Protesters started throwing stones at a group of police, who then started to run away. The policewoman in the photo, Medikintos Inabeza, 33, got left behind and then some protesters started to push her, saying that she had shot a female protestor in the stomach with an AK47 rifle. I didn't see anything of that. There were 5 or 10 protesters pushing the policewoman at first, then others came and joined in. Up to 20 or 30 protesters were surrounding her at one point. The protesters kicked and beat her very badly; I also saw a couple of knives. I thought they were going to kill her... (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)