A ring-tailed lemur sunbakes at Melbourne Zoo in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on December 21 2016. (Photo by Julian Smith/EPA)

A woman walks inside a building in downtown Havana, Cuba April 21, 2016. (Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Palestinians walk at the site of Israeli strikes on houses, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on November 21, 2023. (Photo by Abed Sabah/Reuters)

Swimmer silhouetted in a waterslide in the coastal suburb of Glenelg, Adelaide, Australia on January 21, 2025. (Photo by Amer Ghazzal/Alamy Live News)

To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

Indian ivory furniture legs in the shape of a goddess from the first century AD are displayed in the 'Afghanistan Crossroads of the Ancient World' exhibition at The British Museum on March 1, 2011 in London, England. Displaying treasures that were in great danger during the years of civil war and Taliban rule, these surviving artifacts reveal Afghanistan's ancient culture, its fragility and its remarkable place in world history. The exhibition opens to the public on March 3 and runs until July 3, 2011. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images). LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 01

Rabbits have been kept as pets in Western nations since the 19th century. Rabbits kept indoors with proper care have a lifespan between 9 to 12 years. Rabbits are social animals. Rabbits as pets can find their companionship with a variety of creatures, including humans, other rabbits, guinea pigs, and sometimes even cats and dogs. Domestic rabbits that do not live indoors can also often serve as companions for their owners, typically living in an easily accessible hutch outside the home.

Photo by: jpockele; Source: Flickr

People take part in the “The Burial of the Sardine” funeral procession, which marks the end of carnival festivities, in Madrid, Spain, February 10, 2016. “Mourners” carry a coffin with a mock sardine through the streets to celebrate the countdown to Lent. Spanish painter Francisco de Goya's painting “El entierro de la sardina” (The Burial of the Sardine) was inspired by this tradition, which started in Madrid in the 18th century, around the time of Spanish King Carlos III. (Photo by Juan Medina/Reuters)