Photo taken at the top of the Canton Tower, a landmark in Guangzhou, on August 7, 2022 shows the Pearl River running through downtown of Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. (Photo by Liu Dawei/Xinhua News Agency)

A traditional high altitude bonfire burns on the occasion of the Swiss National Day on the “Stanserhorn” mountain near Stans, Switzerland, Sunday, August 1, 2021. (Photo by Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP Photo)

“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

People watch the erupting craters and the lava fountains from the old lava fields around the eruption site on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in Iceland, Wednesday, August 28, 2024. (Photo by Marco di Marco/AP Photo)

Audrey Hepburn cooking at home, 1954. Colorized by Dana Keller.

These zoo animals take on an altogether more sinister look after posing for a set of moody black and white portraits. Alex Teuscher has brought out the dark side in a range of exotic creatures with his artistic project which took two years to complete. Photo: White tiger. (Photo by Alex Teuscher/BNPS)

There’s an innate relationship between children and the animal kingdom. Our children sing songs about animals, the have toy animals, they have books about animals and they dream about animals. Capturing this unique connection is Indonesian artist Elicia Edijanto, who depicts small, vulnerable children alongside creatures of the wild like elephants, wolves and bears. Created in stark black and white imagery, and using only watercolors, Edijanto creates dreamlike-scenes that are both tranquil and contemplative.

A few Catholic devotees manage to get closer to either kiss or rub with towels the cross of the image of the Black Nazarene as they take part in a raucous procession to celebrate its feast day in Manila, Philippines, Saturday, January 9, 2016. As in the past, the annual procession attracts thousands of devotees with scores being injured and saw the deployment of hundreds of police and soldiers. (Photo by Bullit Marquez/AP Photo)