Venezuela Pets Go Hungry As Economic Crisis Deepens

Photos by Fernando Llano, Text by Fabiola Sanchez Carlos Parra used to love waking up to see his pet albino boxer, Nina.

Life on the Line in Venezuela

Photos by Ariana Cubillos The people waiting for hours in front of the drugstore were dazed with heat and boredom when the gunmen arrived.

AP Monthly Staff Photo Contest

Each month The Associated Press management honors photographers for outstanding coverage while on assignment.

No Food, No Teachers, Violence in Failing Venezuela Schools

Photos by Ariana Cubillos Maria Arias slipped her notebooks into her backpack, scrounged for a banana to share with her brother and sister, and set off for high school through narrow streets so violent taxis will not come here for any price.

Venezuela’s Miss Gay

Photos by Ariana Cubillos There’s a beauty contest for almost everyone in pageant-obsessed Venezuela. In the popular Miss Gay Venezuela competition, men don elaborate wigs and layers of makeup to show off their skills in what they call “the art of transformation.”

Wayuu Indigenous Tribe Struggles for Survival

Photos by Fernando Vergara Sadness surrounded Gladis Fatima’s mud house. Three days before, her 14-year-old daughter died and a doctor’s certificate showed why: severe malnutrition led to sores in the girl’s mouth that prevented her from swallowing the vitamins and minerals doctors had prescribed.

Transplant Surgeons Save Children’s Lives in Venezuela

Photos by Ariana Cubillos Clutching a tiny Bible, Gilda Velasquez leans over her son as he falls asleep with the help of a powerful sedative and a catchy cartoon jingle playing on a hand-held TV.

Venezuela Horse Mafia

Photos by Fernando Llano It sounds like a page-turning novel: Venezuelan authorities say a gambling ring poisons one of the country’s most popular race horses ahead of a key derby, nearly killing the animal and shining a light on an underworld where millions of dollars in bets are made under the table.