“The Ainu (アイヌ?), also called Aynu, Aino (アイノ), and in historical texts Ezo (蝦夷), are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin. Most of those who identify themselves as Ainu still live in this same region, though the exact number of living Ainu is unknown. This is due to ethnic issues in Japan resulting in those with Ainu backgrounds hiding their identities and confusion over mixed heritages. In Japan, because of intermarriage over many years with Japanese, the concept of a 'pure Ainu' ethnic group is no longer feasible. Official estimates of the population are of around 25,000, while the unofficial number is upwards of 200,000 people”. – Wkipedia

Photo: A captive bear drinking from a large bottle held by an Ainu tribeswoman. (Photo by Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images). Circa 1955

A house built on a rock on the river Drina is seen near the western Serbian town of Bajina Basta, about 160km (99 miles) from the capital Belgrade May 22, 2013. The house was built in 1968 by a group of young men who decided that the rock on the river was an ideal place for a tiny shelter, according to the house's co-owner, who was among those involved in its construction. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

Tinni the dog and Sniffer the fox became quick friends, prompting the pooch's owner Torgeir Berge to start a campaign against the highly controversial fur trade after he noticed "how similar foxes and dogs actually are," calling the fox the "dog of the forest." Berge and his friend Berit Helberg plan to release a book sometime next year chronicling the duo, because "no animals should be living like the animals in the fur industry are living." According to animal advocacy group PETA, many creatures bound for the fur industry are allegedly kept in small, restrictive cages for their entire lives. Berge and Helberg said they plan to donate a portion of the proceeds to help save the Sniffers of the world, and we can totally see why.

Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow meets Clyde the Sea Lion, the star of SeaWorld San Diego's “Sea Lion Tonite”, at the marine-life park's Sea Lion and Otter Stadium on August 3, 2011 in San Diego, California. Crow and her sons spent the day a SeaWorld meeting, feeding and learning about sea turtles, penguins and sea lions, other park animal ambassadors. Crow was performing in San Diego on her summer concert tour with Kid Rock. (Photo by Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego via Getty Images)

A lioness drinks after being fed by senior keeper Glynn Hennessy at ZSL London Zoo on August 10, 2016 in London, England. Today marks World Lion Day which highlights the first global campaign to celebrate the importance and plight of lions worldwide. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Detroit Lions cheerleaders perform a routine with the Grinch during a timeout in the action in the second quarter of the Detroit Lions against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on December 5, 2024. (Photo by Lon Horwedel/USA Today Sports)

A male sea lion Leo writes the word of tiger in Chinese character at a New Year's attraction to celebrate the Year of the Tiger at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on Monday, January 3, 2022. The calligraphy attraction by the sea lion will be carried through January 31. (Photo by Yoshio Tsunoda/AFLO/Rex Features/Shutterstock)