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AP photographers capture stunning scenes of nature and wildlife in 2024

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AP photographers capture stunning scenes of nature and wildlife in 2024
News

News

AP photographers capture stunning scenes of nature and wildlife in 2024

2024-12-18 16:06 Last Updated At:16:12

An insect hovers near flowers decorating the area around the holy remains of the patron saint of the Romanian capital Bucharest.

A municipal worker in Montenegro holds owlets rescued from a fallen tree after a powerful storm in Podgorica. A herd of deer cross a road in a bucolic scene near Frankfurt, Germany.

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A hare runs in a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A hare runs in a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A pure-bred Siamese crocodile hatchling pokes its head out of its shell at Phnom Tamao in Cambodia's Takeo Province, on July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

A pure-bred Siamese crocodile hatchling pokes its head out of its shell at Phnom Tamao in Cambodia's Takeo Province, on July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

A pheasant flaps its wings in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A pheasant flaps its wings in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

One of the newly-born twin panda bear cubs, named Meng Hao and Meng Tian or Leni and Lotti, looks out of the enclosure, during the official presentation of their names, at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

One of the newly-born twin panda bear cubs, named Meng Hao and Meng Tian or Leni and Lotti, looks out of the enclosure, during the official presentation of their names, at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Two giraffes roam around Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Two giraffes roam around Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A hummingbird approaches a flower in the outfield lawn during a spring training baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A hummingbird approaches a flower in the outfield lawn during a spring training baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A colony of sea lions rest at Playa Mann on San Cristobal Island, Ecuador in the Galapagos on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)

A colony of sea lions rest at Playa Mann on San Cristobal Island, Ecuador in the Galapagos on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)

A black rhino, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), eats grass at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A black rhino, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), eats grass at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A wild boar runs through the deep grass in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A wild boar runs through the deep grass in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A Chinkara gazelle fawn rests in the plumage of a peacock at an animal rescue center on a hot summer day in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dinesh Gupta)

A Chinkara gazelle fawn rests in the plumage of a peacock at an animal rescue center on a hot summer day in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dinesh Gupta)

A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin on May 11, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin on May 11, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team release five elephants at Aberdare National Park, located in central Kenya Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team release five elephants at Aberdare National Park, located in central Kenya Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A starling sits on the back of a horse as another looks on at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A starling sits on the back of a horse as another looks on at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A bird is hand-fed a worm at the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

A bird is hand-fed a worm at the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Anteaters play on the grounds of the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

Anteaters play on the grounds of the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

Deer rut in the early morning fog in Bushy Park, south west London, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Deer rut in the early morning fog in Bushy Park, south west London, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A peacock displays its tail feathers to hens during their mating ritual on the gardens of the Pimenta Palace Municipal Museum in Lisbon, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A peacock displays its tail feathers to hens during their mating ritual on the gardens of the Pimenta Palace Municipal Museum in Lisbon, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A humpback whale breaches off near Iguana Island, Panama, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A humpback whale breaches off near Iguana Island, Panama, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A bee flies to a sunflower on a field in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A bee flies to a sunflower on a field in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A polar bear and a cub search for scraps in a large pile of bowhead whale bones left from the village's subsistence hunting at the end of an unused airstrip near the village of Kaktovik, Alaska, on Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A polar bear and a cub search for scraps in a large pile of bowhead whale bones left from the village's subsistence hunting at the end of an unused airstrip near the village of Kaktovik, Alaska, on Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A gosling sits in its mother's plumage in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A gosling sits in its mother's plumage in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A young macaque chews on a leaf in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A young macaque chews on a leaf in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A spider waits for his prey in the center of its net covered by water droplets, in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A spider waits for his prey in the center of its net covered by water droplets, in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as the Park Fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as the Park Fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Deer cross a road in the Taunus forest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Deer cross a road in the Taunus forest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A municipal worker shows owlets rescued from a fallen tree after a powerful storm in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A municipal worker shows owlets rescued from a fallen tree after a powerful storm in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

An insect hovers near flowers decorating the area around the holy remains of Saint Dimitrie Bassarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, at the end of a religious procession in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

An insect hovers near flowers decorating the area around the holy remains of Saint Dimitrie Bassarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, at the end of a religious procession in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

In a world where war and disaster dominates headlines, the natural world survives and even thrives. AP photographers document it, often spotting beauty even while covering death and destruction.

Get the best of The AP’s photography delivered to your inbox every Sunday. Sign up for The World in Pictures.

A hare runs in a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A hare runs in a field on the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A pure-bred Siamese crocodile hatchling pokes its head out of its shell at Phnom Tamao in Cambodia's Takeo Province, on July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

A pure-bred Siamese crocodile hatchling pokes its head out of its shell at Phnom Tamao in Cambodia's Takeo Province, on July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton L. Delgado)

A pheasant flaps its wings in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A pheasant flaps its wings in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

One of the newly-born twin panda bear cubs, named Meng Hao and Meng Tian or Leni and Lotti, looks out of the enclosure, during the official presentation of their names, at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

One of the newly-born twin panda bear cubs, named Meng Hao and Meng Tian or Leni and Lotti, looks out of the enclosure, during the official presentation of their names, at the Zoo in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Two giraffes roam around Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Two giraffes roam around Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A hummingbird approaches a flower in the outfield lawn during a spring training baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A hummingbird approaches a flower in the outfield lawn during a spring training baseball game between the Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers, Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Surprise, Ariz. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A colony of sea lions rest at Playa Mann on San Cristobal Island, Ecuador in the Galapagos on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)

A colony of sea lions rest at Playa Mann on San Cristobal Island, Ecuador in the Galapagos on Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alie Skowronski)

A black rhino, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), eats grass at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A black rhino, on the Red List of Threatened Species according to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), eats grass at Nairobi National Park, on the outskirts of Nairobi, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A pair of bald eagles call out while resting on a tree next to Union Bay, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A wild boar runs through the deep grass in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A wild boar runs through the deep grass in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, early Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A Chinkara gazelle fawn rests in the plumage of a peacock at an animal rescue center on a hot summer day in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dinesh Gupta)

A Chinkara gazelle fawn rests in the plumage of a peacock at an animal rescue center on a hot summer day in Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Thursday, May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Dinesh Gupta)

A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A cormorant gets a running start to take off from the calm waters of Northeast Harbor, Maine, at sunrise Oct. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin on May 11, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

An adult periodical cicada sheds its nymphal skin on May 11, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team release five elephants at Aberdare National Park, located in central Kenya Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and capture team release five elephants at Aberdare National Park, located in central Kenya Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A starling sits on the back of a horse as another looks on at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A starling sits on the back of a horse as another looks on at a stud farm in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A bird is hand-fed a worm at the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

A bird is hand-fed a worm at the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, Saturday, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A beetle basks in the sun on a city meadow in Tallinn, Estonia, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Anteaters play on the grounds of the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

Anteaters play on the grounds of the non-profit wildlife park Selva Teneek where animals are being treated for heat stress amid a continuing heat wave and drought, in Ciudad Valles, Mexico, June 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Mauricio Palos)

Deer rut in the early morning fog in Bushy Park, south west London, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Deer rut in the early morning fog in Bushy Park, south west London, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A peacock displays its tail feathers to hens during their mating ritual on the gardens of the Pimenta Palace Municipal Museum in Lisbon, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A peacock displays its tail feathers to hens during their mating ritual on the gardens of the Pimenta Palace Municipal Museum in Lisbon, Friday, April 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)

A humpback whale breaches off near Iguana Island, Panama, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A humpback whale breaches off near Iguana Island, Panama, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

A bee flies to a sunflower on a field in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A bee flies to a sunflower on a field in the outskirts of Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A polar bear and a cub search for scraps in a large pile of bowhead whale bones left from the village's subsistence hunting at the end of an unused airstrip near the village of Kaktovik, Alaska, on Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A polar bear and a cub search for scraps in a large pile of bowhead whale bones left from the village's subsistence hunting at the end of an unused airstrip near the village of Kaktovik, Alaska, on Oct. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

A gosling sits in its mother's plumage in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A gosling sits in its mother's plumage in a meadow in Frankfurt, Germany, April 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A young macaque chews on a leaf in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A young macaque chews on a leaf in the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary in Ubud on the island of Bali in Indonesia on Wednesday, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A spider waits for his prey in the center of its net covered by water droplets, in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A spider waits for his prey in the center of its net covered by water droplets, in the forest outside Tallinn, Estonia, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as the Park Fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

An animal runs through grass while fleeing flames as the Park Fire tears through the Cohasset community in Butte County, Calif., on July 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

A Grey heron preening its features on a lake in city park in Tallinn, Estonia, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Deer cross a road in the Taunus forest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Deer cross a road in the Taunus forest in Wehrheim near Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

A municipal worker shows owlets rescued from a fallen tree after a powerful storm in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

A municipal worker shows owlets rescued from a fallen tree after a powerful storm in Montenegro's capital Podgorica, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)

An insect hovers near flowers decorating the area around the holy remains of Saint Dimitrie Bassarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, at the end of a religious procession in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

An insect hovers near flowers decorating the area around the holy remains of Saint Dimitrie Bassarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, at the end of a religious procession in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A gas cylinder explosion early Sunday after a wedding reception at a home in Pakistan’s capital killed at least eight people, including the bride and groom, police and officials said.

The blast occurred as guests who had gathered to celebrate the couple were sleeping at the house, causing part of the house to collapse, according to the Islamabad police. Seven people were injured.

In a statement, police said the explosion occurred in a residential area in the heart of the city. A government administrator, Sahibzada Yousaf, said authorities were alerted about the blast early Sunday and officers are still investigating. He said some nearby homes were also damaged.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives and offered condolences to the victims’ families, according to a statement from his office. He directed health authorities to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment and ordered a full investigation.

Many Pakistani households rely on liquefied petroleum gas cylinders because of low natural gas pressure, and such cylinders have been linked to deadly accidents caused by gas leaks. Police said investigations were ongoing.

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)

Government officials survey the damage of a home caused by a gas cylinder explosion hours after a wedding reception, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ehsan Shahzad)

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