Russian Brown Bears

[Spalea]

Andy Parkinson: " Kamchatka brown bear – Spending time with these magnificent animals it’s easy to forget their fearsome reputation, so accustomed had I got get to their close company. As always when I work abroad I am in the hands of local experts, Russian guides in this instance who knew these bears individually, often for as long as twenty years. It is from these guides that I always take instruction but lying on this tiny exposed sandbank there was little other option. With up to twenty bears completely surrounding us there were at times moments when my heart would race somewhat, a feeling of being exposed and utterly insignificant was not surprising given the scale of the majestic creatures that were everywhere. Whenever possible I would be lying on the ground, trying to create the impression of looking up at these incredible works of evolution, trying to convey their size and scale. In doing so of course it is easy to feel even more vulnerable, especially when a bear came galloping straight towards me in pursuit of yet another unfortunate fish. What I love about this image is its’ ferocity. So often with the images that I captured the bears would look benign and indifferent but there is no mistaking the capabilities of what stands in this image. His size is conveyed both by his proximity and by my perspective but it is the serendipitous moment of the fishes tail and the exposed teeth that really carry the message of why this is the apex predator of this remote wilderness. Looking at it now it seems almost unreal that I ever even lay there, completely surrounded by these astonishing animals and so busy with the task of image making that perhaps I didn’t really take it all in. Looking at this image now it’s nice to have the opportunity to absorb a little more, it’s an image that has certainly moved me. "

" Bears are the most generalistic carnivorans. Their characteristics allow them to take advantage of all food sources (located by smell) & habitats, w/o directly competing with specialists. They are plantigrade, with heavy builds, long claws for foraging, & omnivorous dentition. " Reply