Two adorable brown bears have been spotted cheerfully playing with one another, splashing around in a freshwater stream as their fierce eagle-eyed mother stands guard.
The cute eight month-old-bears appear to be playfully wrestling one another – similarly to young human siblings – in the cheerful snaps captured at Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Placing their paws on each other’s arms, the cute youngsters could be easily mistaken for cheerfully dancing with one another as drops of water fell from their fur.
The cub’s ‘strong bond’ shines through as they joyously hurried after one another in the river for nearly an hour, according to the photographer.
However, it won’t be fun and games forever for the pair, as their sibling bond has an expiration date.
At around two-years-old, these jolly cubs will have to go it alone and fend for themselves, these cubs will have to break away from their mother and go it alone.
They have to depart at this tender age as their mother will be ready to mate again, according to the National Park Service.
So, the youngsters only have just shy of a year to learn everything they need to take on the wilderness by themselves – and even compete for food – for the next two to three decades.
Wildlife photographer, Taylor Thomas Albright, 40, who spotted the jolly furry siblings described the duo as ‘thick as thieves’.
‘Watching these two cubs was amazing. They were filled with so much energy and excitement,’ he added.
‘They played and chased each other around for over an hour while their mom caught and ate fish nearby.’
Divulging how snapped the endearing moment, Albright explained he had been following the family of bears all day – and it took around three or four hours.
Reflecting on how the pair looked to each other ‘guidance and acceptance’, the photographer was astonished by their bond.
‘I was fascinated by their relationship, how they developed and changed so quickly, mentally and physically, and how connected they were to each other,’ he said.
‘I thought that in less than two years, they would be primarily solitary animals, competing for fishing spots and, a few years after that, possibly competing for a mate.’
30,000 brown bears call Alaska their home, with 2,200 residing at 4.3 million acre Katmai National Park, according to Travel Alaska.
Grizzly bears are omnivores meaning they mainly consume fruits, berries, grasses as well as salmon, ground squirrels and even elk, caribou and deer, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
This diet sees them live for as long as 20 to 30 years – and also grow to astronomical sizes.
The males rack up the pounds, weighing in anywhere between an eyewatering 400 pounds to a staggering 600 pounds.
Although the females are still huge, they are slightly smaller than their male counterparts weighing in at 250 to 300 pounds.
Katmai National Park is famous for its Brooks River, which boasts a flourishing salmon run in the Summer, making it a hotspot for majestic brown bears.
The preservation area is located 260 southwest of Anchorage and boast a stunning volcanic landscape as well as a rocky coastline.
Teaming with furry creatures, brown bears are not an unfamiliar sight at the national park, as the area has one of the largest grizzly bear populations in the world.
The natural preservation area even holds its own Fat Bear Week – an annual competition, celebrating bears who have packed on the pounds to survive the hibernation season.
Last October, the humongous Alaskan beast, also known as 128 Grazer, was praised for piling on the pounds in the run-up to colder months.
Grazer breezed past her competitors at every point in the tournament, with ranger Felicia Jimenez noting: ‘She has been putting in the work.’
During the knockout tournament unveiling, the Katmai National Park ranger added: ‘She was quite dainty in early summer, but now she is huge.’
The female bear, identified by her big blonde ears, was among the favorites to win at the beginning of the competition.
The skilled fisher, has been admired for her unrecognizable transformation, from a slender mammal to a no-nonsense hunter.
The dominant animal came out on top in the ballot box, defeating her competition in every round.
This article by Shannon McGuigan was first published by The Daily Mail on 25 March 2024. Lead Image: The two adorable cubs were spotted playfully wrestling away in the freshwater stream at the Katmai National Park in Alaska (pictured).
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