Unbearably cute! Polar bear cub playfights with its patient mother

February 7th, 2020 Stories

A polar bear playfully bites and grapples with its mother in these heartwarming images filmed in Alaska.

Brant Bady, 36, a photographer from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, captured the scenes from a boat in the Beaufort Sea.

Mr Bady likes travelling five months a year to explore and take photographs. Polar bears were at the top of his list of subjects – so he started researching the ideal location to find them.

He said: ‘After some research I found a suitable place on the Beaufort Sea in Alaska, where the polar bears are hanging around on some barrier reefs waiting for the ocean to freeze so that they can head out and hunt seals.

‘The viewing is done from small boats, so often one is at “eye-level” with the bears, making for much more striking photos.

‘Being able to safely get close enough to the made it much richer experience than just seeing a polar bear, as it was very easy to observe polar bear behaviours when they weren’t just snoozing.

‘Although, even when sleeping the polar bears are both cuddly and endearing. The cubs in particular were very active and were often playing and trying to amuse themselves with whatever was available. Sticks, chunks of ice, pieces of kelp, and even a piece of bone were their play-toys.

‘One afternoon we were treated to watching a cub “goofing” with its mum, it would paw her head, bite her ear, bite her neck and generally make a pest of itself.

‘Mum, however, was extremely patient and put up with all the cub’s antics.

‘My favourite one is the one where the bear is grooming itself in such a humorous pose. I immediately thought of a childhood game/torment of the same name that I used to play/inflict on my younger brother.’

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