Black bear family of 6!

[SilentButDeadly]

As it came to me:

 

*Black bears typically have two cubs, rarely one or three. In 2007, in

northern New Hampshire , a black bear sow gave birth to five healthy young.

There were two or three reports of sows with as many as four cubs but five

was, and is, extraordinary. I learned of them shortly after they emerged

from their den and set myself a goal of photographing all five cubs with

their mom, no matter how much time and effort was involved. *

 

*I knew the trail they followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly

before dark. After spending nearly four hours a day, seven days a week, for

six weeks I had that once in a lifetime opportunity and photographed them in

the shadows and dull lighting of the evening. Due to these conditions the

photograph is a bit “noisy” as I had to use the equivalent of a very fast

film speed on my digital camera. The print is properly focused and well

exposed with all six bears “posing” as if they were in a studio for a family

portrait. *

 

*I stayed in touch with other people who saw the bears during the summer and

into the fall hunting season. All six bears continued to thrive. As time for

hibernation approached, I found still more folks who had seen them and

everything remained OK. I stayed away from the bears as I was concerned that

they might become habituated to me, or to people in general, as approachable

“friends”. This could be dangerous for both man and animal. After Halloween

I received no further reports and could only hope the bears survived until

they hibernated. *

 

*This spring, before the snow disappeared, all six bears came out of their

den and wandered the same familiar territory they trekked in the spring of

2007. I saw them before mid April and dreamed nightly of taking another

“family portrait,” an improbable second “once in a lifetime” photograph. On

April 25, 2008 I achieved my dream. When I showed the result to a woman who

had purchased a print of the cubs a year earlier she exclaimed, “I have

never seen such an extraordinary photograph”. When something as magical as

this happens between man and animal Native Americans say: “We have walked

together in the shadow of a rainbow.” And so it is with humility and great

pleasure that I share these photos with you. *

 

*Sincerely, Tom Sears *

 

2007 Family Portrait!

 

2008 Family Portrait

[Gr8 White Jr]

That is really neat! I wish the sows here in Arizona would reproduce like that! Thanks for sharing.

 

-Tracy

[coueschaser3]

neat photo, but heck that would be intimidating runnin into a group of bears like that. let alone a sow with 5 cubs. bet she has a heck of a time keepin track of the nosey buggers.

[jldeerslayer]

man i to wish bears in az would produce like that with 4 boars and 1 sow. more hunting. ha good pics tho