CUTE BABY BEARS CLING TO MOMMA GRIZZLY AS THEY CROSS A CREEK IN ALASKA

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Now that's a bear hug! Mother grizzly lets her kids cling on to her as she crosses a river in Alaska

• Photos shows the moment cubs cling to their mother as she crosses a creek in the Alaskan wilderness.  The six-month-old cubs were apparently too scared to cross the water by themselves 
• The images were captured at Silver Salmon Creek, in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska by elementary school teacher Ian Stotesbury, 37, from Vancouver, BC 
• The Canadian province of British Columbia allows the hunting of these animals for "sport".

See more images of this cute bear family

 

The majestic Alaskan landscape is a haven for grizzly bears with around 35,000 thought to live in the state's untamed wilderness 

 

Two cute grizzly bear cubs have been snapped taking a ride on mom's back as she transports them safely across a river.

 

Pictures show the small six-month-old cubs looking hungrily at their 500lb mum as she eats a clam before they clamber onto mum's back for the journey across the water.

 

Other playful shots show the pair of 30lb cubs enjoying some play time as they fight and wrestle with each other on the sandy beach.

 

What's that mommy? A creature, that looks to be another young bear or even a coyote, lurks in the background but the cubs needn't fear with such a strong caring mother protecting them 
 

The images were captured at Silver Salmon Creek, in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska by elementary school teacher Ian Stotesbury, 37, from Vancouver.

 

'My wife and I were walking on the beach heading back towards our tent and we got to the mouth of the creek and mom and the cubs were there,' he said.

 

'We were surprised to see them and mum was not too comfortable with us being around. She actually headed our way slowly to push us away. She wasn't threatening but her body language was clear. We gave her some distance.

 

There's no looking back now: The cubs jump on their mother as they cross the creek which the tiny youngsters are still learning to swim 

 

'My wife and I joined a few others that we met up with and later approached the bears as a group and the mother wasn't not bothered by us and we able to have the ability to stay in close proximity.

 

'In these photographs I see a family of bears enjoying themselves and the importance of finding food for survival

 

'The mom was digging up clams to eat and feed her cubs. When they were crossing the creek you could also see that mom was teaching the cubs to get use to the water.

 

'They were pretty scared going across the creek.'

 

 Fully grown grizzlies weigh around 500lb - dwarfing six-month-old cubs who come in around 30lb. No wonder she looks unperturbed as she drags them across the calm waters

 

Ian hopes his photographs can help people appreciate animals in their natural habitat without disturbing them.

 

'It saddens me that in British Columbia we still allow people to trophy hunt,' he said.

 

'I hope my images help people see that these animals are struggling to survive and we are constantly encroaching or their environment.

 

'It's tough enough out there and they don't need people chasing them around with guns to help serve their ego. 

 

 

Back to business: After successfully clawing onto their mother the cubs begin to play on the other side of the creek

Source
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3785297/TWO-CUTE-grizzly-bear-cubs-snapped-taking-ride-mum-s-transports-safely-river.html