Wildlife is full of surprises. A 61-year-old Finnish photographer happened to capture a group of chubby bear cubs peeking out from behind trees as if they were playing hide and seek. The mischievous expressions on the cubs’ faces make these photos even more amusing.
The cubs, aged around four months, were venturing out with adult bears in a forest in Finland.
Valtteri Mulkahainen, from Sotkamo, Finland, who has been photographing bears for around ten years, knew to hide patiently to snap these perfect images of the cubs seemingly playing hide and seek and practicing their climbing skills.
Mulkahainen said that wild bears can be photographed, as long as a person can manage to respect their space. The safest way is to sit quietly and take photos from a hiding place.
“I care about animals and their natural surroundings,” Mulkahainen said. “People really like to see photos of bears. I really like little bears—they are like little children. They play and frolic like children. They really make me laugh.”
