Brown bear cubs in Japan die of starvation amid salmon shortage

A brown bear cub and mother on the Shiretoko peninsula in northern Japan. A tour boat operator spotted a starving cub searching for food in the area this month. Photograph: Newscom/Alamy

As many as eight in 10 brown bear cubs born this year in a remote part of northern Japan have died amid a shortage of salmon, with experts blaming rising sea temperatures caused by the climate crisis.

Along with acorns, pink salmon are an important source of food for the estimated 500 brown bears living along Hokkaido’s Shiretoko peninsula, a Unesco world heritage site known for its dramatic coastline and wild animals.