While most people think of wildlife as vicious and dangerous, it may also provide some wonderfully tender encounters. And this pair of bear cubs linking hands is quite breathtaking.
Lewis Kemper, a wildlife photographer, was fortunate enough to be in the right position at the right moment to get some spectacular photographs.
When the 62-year-old photographer from California discovered the charming scene, he was at Lake Clark National Park. While watching the mama bear try to get the meal, two cubs were holding hands.
“I was leading a photography tour around Lake Clark in Alaska, earlier this month, when I spotted a female and her two cubs waiting for her to come back with something to eat,” Lewis said.
“I was standing about 20 feet away from the two cubs – bears in the area are used to human presence and do not mind us.”
Despite their eager anticipation for fish at dinner, their mother returned empty-handed. “The two bears held hands for around 20 seconds,” the photographer stated.
“They hoped their mother would bring them some dinner but unfortunately, she came back fishless.” Bears have a 10% hunting success rate, according to wildlife specialists.
Despite the fact that most bears enjoy eating fish, their diet is primarily comprised of vegetation.
“Although bears love their fish, most of them are omnivores and mainly eat plants and of course, a lot of grass,” Lewis remarked.
However, the two cubs aren’t the first animals who have been photographed clutching ‘hands.’
A couple noticed two penguins carrying flippers on a South African beach a few years ago.
The sweet encounter soon went viral on social media at the time, earning millions of hearts.