Most of us will never see a bear, let alone have the wherewithal to photograph it. But a Finnish photographer has gone viral with his recent snaps of some adorable bear cubs at play.
Bear cubs: they’re adorable.
Before they become gigantic murder machines, bear cubs are these cute, ungainly, cat-sized beasts. Like, you shouldn’t approach them because their mom would rip your face off. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to.
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A photographer snapped some incredible shots.
Valtteri Mulkahainen, who can be found on Instagram @valtterimulkhahainen , is a Finnish photographer who came across a family of bears in the remote wilderness outside Martinselkonen, Finland.
He took a bunch of photos.
Mulkahainen came across a family of bears: a mother and her three cubs. He was able to stay undetected, which is definitely a good thing, as mother bears can get pretty aggressive.
The cubs generally stayed close to mom.
The sequence of pics captures the family in different states. Most show the cubs acting as their mom’s shadow, sticking close to her for safety. But some are a little different.
Sometimes the cubs ventured off.
“The cubs behaved like little children,” explained Mulkahainen. “They were playing, and even started a few friendly fights. I felt like I was on a playground in front of my house, where small children frolic around.”
Then something magical happened.
“At one point, the three of them got up on their hind legs and started pushing each other. It was like they were dancing in a circle. I photographed the cubs with the bear all evening and all night,” he said.
It was pretty special to witness.
Safely in his shelter 164 feet away, Mulkahainen kept snapping as the cubs had their little dance party. Bears can easily stand on their hind legs, but seeing them have a dance-off is unusual.
It went on for awhile.
No video exists, but the high-quality photos do a good job of telling the story. This standing dance thing seems to be a favorite pastime for these bear siblings.
Bear witness.
In a few months, these cubs will go their own ways as young adults. But in the meantime, their sibling bond persists.
It’s pretty much the cutest thing ever.
Be sure to share your stories of unusual and/or adorable wild animal sightings in the comments section! h/t: Valtteri Mulkahainen (@valtterimulkahainen on Instagram)
