Animals with symbolic meaning around the world

Historically, bears have been associated with courage and strength. This isn't surprising considering bears are some of the world's largest land carnivores and apex predators.

In Finnish, Siberian, and Korean cultures, bears are viewed as symbols of their ancestors. In Norse mythology, the bear is associated with Odin. In some Indigenous cultures of North America, bears are associated with healing and strength. In Russian mythology, they are thought of as the masters of the forest, which reflects how bears will feed on just about anything found in the woods, from berries and leaves to fish and small mammals.

The mother bear is a popular figure in stories, and it originates from how female bears are fiercely protective of their cubs. Unprovoked bears rarely attack humans, although a female bear might if you get too close to her cubs and she thinks they're in danger. Unfortunately, bears still face the threat of human-wildlife conflict due to human encroachment into their habitats.

Bears are up against other threats, too. For example, climate change and melting sea ice are threatening the survival of polar bears, which are classified as vulnerable by the IUCN.

IFAW supported a bear sanctuary in Ukraine to care for brown bears impacted by ongoing conflict. We also helped establish the Centre for Bear Rehabilitation and Conservation in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India, where we rehabilitate orphaned bear cubs and help them return to the wild.

Lions

The lion is another carnivore that has long been linked to power, courage, and bravery. Though popularly referred to as the 'king of the jungle', lions don't live in the jungle at all-they mostly inhabit the savannahs, scrublands, grasslands, and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa.

Some of the earliest known Palaeolithic cave art depicts lions, such as those found in France, that date back as far as 35,000 years ago. In Ancient Egypt, the deity Sekhmet was depicted as a lioness or with a lioness head. She was associated with the sun and the Nile River-and she became embodied by the famous sphinx, who was deemed the protector of the pharaohs.

In ancient Mesopotamia, lions were similarly tied to leadership. In art and culture, the Mesopotamians depicted the Asiatic lion, a population of lions that today is endangered. As of 2025, there are only around 891 Asiatic lions remaining. This marks an increase in the population from recent years, but their numbers are still worryingly low.

Evidence has been uncovered that lions once roamed eastern Europe, including Greece-some of the most recent lion remains there date back to the seventh century BCE, so they didn't disappear all that long ago. While it was previously thought that Greek myths, like that of the Nemean lion, a beast slain by Hercules, were based on tales of lions that roamed further east, it's now known that the Ancient Greeks had lions right at home. Marks on the bones suggest these lions were hunted and skinned.

Throughout Europe, lions became symbols of bravery and were common features in architecture and sculpture-today, there are more lion sculptures in Europe than real lions in the wild. Sadly, wild lions are threatened by poaching, habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and a decline in prey species. They are listed as vulnerable to extinction and have a decreasing population.

IFAW works around the world to protect lions. We support the training of volunteers who protect lions in Uganda and partner with organisations to combat cross-border wildlife crime. We also worked to get the Big Cat Public Safety Act passed in the US, a historic step toward safeguarding captive big cats nationwide. This measure prohibits the private ownership of tigers, lions, leopards, and other big cats as 'pets' while also restricting dangerous contact between members of the public and these apex predators. Notably, we have also supported the evacuation of captive lions from the war in Ukraine.

Owls