This is the lovely moment a pair of polar bear cubs wave right to the camera, as if to say “hello” to the group of people recording them. Laura Keene, a 57-year-old amateur photographer, captured the gorgeous view on the Barrier Islands in Alaska.
Despite the fact that the one-year-old cubs appear to wave to the camera in the fantastic photograph, the narrative behind it reveals what really happened. The bears – a mother and her two pups – were later discovered by another polar bear family further behind. As a result, the kids raised up on their rear legs to have a better view of what was going on.
Laura, who works as a clinical pharmacist, stated, “It was such a weird experience for me as a photographer when I witnessed that wave movement.” “As our boat shook and moved away, I pushed the shutter hard wanting to get that picture in focus, even though I knew it was just the cub shifting to preserve his balance as he stood erect.”
A large male polar bear who had been sighted resting in the vicinity had notified the two polar bear families. As a result of the males’ hostile behavior toward the cubs, the mother became highly attentive.
“That day, our bear guide Ketil Reitan scoured the islands and discovered two bear families, each with a mother and two cubs,” Laura recounted. “He could witness odd behavior from afar; the mother bears were periodically standing.”
“He piloted the boat to the location, and when we arrived, he realized why – there was a massive male polar bear resting close.”