The Bear Hug

It is believed that the two bears pictured here are siblings, they have been spotted in the fall for a couple of years and appeared to be inseparable! I had been out on the tundra with my guide Drew for the entire day, we noticed a couple of heads pop up from within the willows and decided to see what might transpire. A short while later the two bears emerged from the willows and on to the open tundra where they proceeded to put on a lively and entertaining sparring match! The two bears locked up temporarily for this embrace, which resembled a hug. No different than when you see two boxers battling it out in the ring, when they are exhausted, they sometimes lock up and appear to be embracing one another. While I am not a boxer, nor a bear, I am sure that locking up in an embrace such as this for a few seconds simply provides each with a moment to catch their breath before the battle resumes.