Photographer Captures Scary Shot of a Brown Bear Standing Right Behind Two Fishermen

21-year-old wildlife photographer Robert Hawthorne recently captured one the most striking photographs of his career when he spotted a brown bear eyeing a pair of unsuspecting fishermen in Katmai National Park, Alaska.

Hawthorne, a Montana-based wildlife photographer, was guiding a photo tour in the national park when he spotted the bear. And while it might seem like a reason to start yelling out frantic warnings immediately, Hawthorne knew from experience that the two fishermen weren’t actually in any real danger.

“When given protection such as a habitat like Katmai National Park, and especially when bears are so focused on a single food source like salmon, close and passive encounters can happen daily without risk of attack,” says Hawthorne. “The bear truly was not interested in the fishermen, although he may have been interested to see if they had caught a fish for stealing.”

That’s why he took the time to take a photo before warning the unsuspecting duo. And that’s why this photo looks far more “chilling” than it actually is:

“This is more of a common occurrence than you think. The bears walk up and down the banks looking to find sockeye salmon to catch,” continues Hawthorne. “It can happen several times a day that you have a bear walk close behind you. The bear was looking right past the fishermen into the water hoping to see salmon ready for the catching.”

As Hawthorne tells it, the fishermen were largely un-phased when he brought their attention to the bear. “The fishermen did have a good startle when they realized their spectator,” he remembers, “but it was clear he was not threatening so they quickly returned to fishing.”

They, like Hawthorne, must have known there was no real danger. That said, we don’t personally know anyone who would simply “quickly return to fishing” if one of these guys was standing a few feet away:

(via People)


Image credits: Photographs by Robert Hawthorne/Kennedy News, licensed for editorial use.

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