Young brown bears prepare for hibernation in Japan
Young brown bears on a hunt for salmon on a river in Shiretoko on Japan's northeastern island of Hokkaido, October 2, 2013, in preparation for their long winter in hibernation.
Shiretoko, located on Shiretoko Peninsula, is known as the last of the rarely-visited regions. Most of the land on peninsula is taken by the Shiretoko National Park, which is the home of Japan's brown bear. The park was named a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2005.
Shiretoko means end of the Earth in Ainu language. Ainu are the indigenous people on the Japanese northern island of Hokkaido and they worship the brown bear as "kimunkamuy", god in mountains in Ainu.
( EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA)
