A giant panda cub falls from a stage while 23 giant pandas born in 2016 are seen on a display at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China, on Sept. 29, 2016.China Daily/Reuters
In a year that proved to be more eventful than anticipated, the world of animals provided a sense of comfort. Their cuteness and capacity to entertain by acting out in unexpected, affectionate ways or by mimicking human gestures remain understated.
Whether they’re winged or furry, big or small, a few critters made the headlines such as a giant panda cub adorably falling off the stage in China or a penguin of merit inspecting the guards of honor in Scotland. Heartbreaking photographs of starving dogs at a shelter in Venezuela and workers rescuing their pigs from a massive flood in China to the head-scratching 19-year old chimpanzee smoking a cigarette also made waves.
TIME presents a collection of standout images from the animal kingdom shot and shared over the past 12 months.
A horse makes its way through a cloud of smoke rising from fumigation being done to prevent mosquito-borne diseases in Allahabad, India, on Sept. 9, 2016. Rajesh Kumar Singh—APFlamingos migrate after thousands of flamingo chicks have emerged from their nests at Salt Lake, which is home to the biggest flamingo colony in Turkey and the Mediterranean basin, in Aksaray, Turkey, on June 28, 2016.Murat Oner Tas—Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesA pair of tigers soak in a shallow pool at the Tiger Temple, a controversial Buddhist monastery where paying visitors can interact with young adult tigers, in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, on March 16, 2016. Amanda Mustard—The New York Times/ReduxVillagers watch as bulls fight during the Maghesangranti festival at Talukachandani village in Nuwakot district near Kathmandu, Nepal, on Jan. 15, 2016. Navesh Chitrakar—ReutersA Thai veterinarian takes a DNA sample from an unconscious wild monkey during a health treatment program at Phra Nakhon Khiri Historical Park in Phetchaburi province, Thailand, on April 5, 2016. Rungroj Yongrit—EPAFrom left: Maria Silva, Milena Cortes, Maria Arteaga, Jackeline Bastidas and Gissy Abello at the Famproa dogs shelter where they work, in Los Teques, Venezuela, on Aug. 25, 2016. Carlos Garcia Rawlins—ReutersSeveral wild horses escape as a helicopter is used by the Bureau of Land Management to gather wild horses into a trap along Highway 21 near Garrison, Utah, on Feb. 26, 2015.Jim Urquhart—ReutersA giant panda cub falls from a stage while 23 giant pandas born in 2016 are seen on a display at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China, on Sept. 29, 2016. China Daily/ReutersA penguin named Nils Olav inspects the Guard of Honour formed by His Majesty the King of Norway's Guard at Edinburgh Zoo in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Aug. 22, 2016.Mark Owens—AFP/Getty ImagesAn Indian elephant takes a dust bath amid rising temperatures at Zirakpur Chattbira Zoo, near Chandigarh, India, on April 18, 2016. STR/AFP/Getty ImagesA dog wanders through a flooded neighborhood in Gonzales, La., on Aug. 16, 2016.Brendan Smialowski—AFP/Getty ImagesAzat Shajbyrov reacts to a baby falcon in the village of Bokonbaevo, Issyk-Kul area, Kyrgyzstan, on June 22, 2016.Igor Kovalenko—EPA Valerie Nunes-Atkinson and CJ, a German shorthaired pointer, pose after CJ won best in show at the 140th Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, on Feb. 16, 2016.Seth Wenig—APOne of three sperm whales, which were found washed ashore, lays on a beach in Skegness, England, on Jan. 25, 2016. Dan Kitwood—Getty ImagesA monkey raises its hand in class at a monkey training school in a zoo in Dongying, China, on Jan. 26, 2016.Wang Zhao—AFP/Getty ImagesAustralian dog trainer and former surfing champion Chris de Aboitiz rides a wave with his dogs Rama and Millie off Sydney's Palm Beach, Australia, on Feb. 18, 2016. Jason Reed—ReutersMale chimpanzee Chacha screams at a man trying to capture him on power lines in a residential area of Sendai, Japan, on April 14, 2016.Kyodo/APAlister Shipman, right, and Hannah Simpson, winners of an Airbnb competition, pose in a bed of an underwater room structure installed in the Aquarium of Paris, on April 11, 2016.Chesnot/Getty ImagesEmployees save pigs from a flooded farm in Lu'an, Anhui Province, China, on July 5, 2016. ReutersAn emu runs to escape an approaching wildfire as it burns near Potrero, Calif., on June 20, 2016. Mike Blake—ReutersBruno, a bearded collie cross, walks in the wind in Cornwall, England, on Feb. 8, 2016.Matt Cardy—Getty ImagesBirds on a track during the 2016 Rio Olympics, Men's High Jump Final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 16, 2016.Kai Pfaffenbach—ReutersTwiggy the Water Skiing Squirrel gets in some practice runs before her shows at the Toronto International Boat Show in Toronto, Canada, on Jan. 7, 2016.Steve Russell—Getty ImagesCaroline and David Cuthbertson prepare their Highland bull Altruedh of Crannich for the Royal Highland show at Ingliston showground in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 22, 2016.Jeff J. Mitchell—Getty ImagesA man watches buffalos cross a river as they head to another grazing area in Nanchong, China, on Aug. 10, 2016. China Daily/ReutersLarry, The Downing Street Cat, stands outside N10 Downing Street in London, on June 24, 2016. Facundo Arrizabalaga—EPAA diver dressed in a monkey costume featuring animal signs from the Chinese zodiac calendar, performs with sardines, in conjunction with Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations at an aquarium in Seoul, South Korea, on Jan. 12, 2016. Kim Hong-Ji—ReutersAzalea, a 19-year-old female chimpanzee whose Korean name is "Dallae," smokes a cigarette at the Central Zoo in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Oct. 19, 2016. Wong Maye-E—APMusher Justin Savidis' dogs wait in a truck before the restart of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow, Alaska, on March 6, 2016. Nathaniel Wilder—ReutersA female baby polar bear is fed by her mother in Bremerhaven, Germany, on March 9, 2016.Carmen Jaspersen—AFP/Getty ImagesA worker feeds a crocodile named Shaquille at an enclosure at the Malabon Zoo in Manila, Philippines, on March 3, 2016.Noel Celis—AFP/Getty ImagesSheep take part in the "Lamb National" race during the Prince's Countryside Fund Raceday at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, on April 3, 2016.Max Mumby—Getty ImagesA tiger yawns next to a piglet at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo, in Chonburi province, Thailand, on June 7, 2016. Chaiwat Subprasom—ReutersA poodle is groomed by its owner on the first day of Crufts Dog Show in Birmingham, England, on March 10, 2016.Ben Pruchnie—Getty ImagesJason Wurtz of Van Nuys, Calif., holds his dog Sweepee Rambo after winning the 2016 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, Calif., on June 24, 2016.Justin Sullivan—Getty ImagesA baby giraffe of Niger named Kenai, right, born on Aug. 25, 2016, kisses his mother Dioni at the zoo of La Fleche, France, on Aug. 31, 2016.Jean-Francois Monier—AFP/Getty ImagesPierre Thivillon, right, director of the zoological park of Saint-Martin-La-Plaine and his wife Eliane look at Digit, an 18-year-old female gorilla in Saint-Martin-La-Plaine, France, on Aug. 19, 2016.Phillipe Desmazes—AFP/Getty ImagesA wildebeest herd is pictured during the annual wildebeest migration on the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, on Sept. 13, 2016.Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty ImagesAn arctic weasel runs on the snowy beach of Unstad, Lofoten Island, in the Arctic Circle, on March 8, 2016.Olivier Morin—AFP/Getty ImagesCloned dogs in a glass-fronted pen at a care room of the Sooam Biotech Research Foundation, a world leader in pet cloning, in Seoul, on June 29, 2016.Jung Yeon-Je—AFP/Getty ImagesA specimen of the newly-discovered Australian Peacock spider, Maratus Bubo, shows off its colorful abdomen in Australia, on June 6, 2016.ReutersSoldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army salute as they perform with their dogs before a dog training competition, in Heihe, China, on Aug. 16, 2016. ReutersAn owner takes a picture of her dog as it climbs up on a glass panel while swimming at a pool for dogs in Chengdu, China, on Aug. 16, 2016. ReutersBjorn, aged 5, smiles as he poses with owl butterflies during an event to launch the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, on March 23, 2016. Dylan Martinez—ReutersA group of Indian Runner ducks march past farm buildings at the Vergenoegd wine estate near Cape Town, South Africa, on May 11, 2016. Mike Hutchings—ReutersAn Iberian lynx named Mistral jumps in a field after being released by Portugal's Minister of Environment Joao Matos Fernandes and others in the Mount Milhouro region in Mertola, Portugal, on May 13, 2016. Nuno Veiga—EPAA stray dog stands among outboard motors that were used by refugees and migrants to reach the Greek northern island of Lesbos, in Mytilene, on Feb. 23, 2016.Aris Messinis—AFP/Getty ImagesVillagers gather to watch two sheep fighting in a sheep competition during a temple fair at Lihejing Village in Hua County, China, on March 22, 2016. VCG/Getty ImagesA little girl takes a picture of a lion in the zoo in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sept. 13, 2016. Michael Probst—APA man, whose house is covered with snow tries to clear the path in front of his barn in Van, Turkey, on Jan. 21, 2016. Ozkan Bilgin—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
