This is an image I took of a Coastal brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Katmai National Park, Alaska, sprinting in shallow water in pursuit of its favorite prey during the annual salmon run.

For more information about the salmon run in Alaska and how bears behave at that time of the year, please refer to my previous post about it.

Regarding the image itself, I think that the bear’s determined stare, the position of its front paw and claws, just about to hit the water, and the thousands of water droplets surrounding the running bear are the elements that make this photograph and, in my view, tell the story of a beautiful, powerful and elegant creature in its environment during a defining moment in its lifecycle.

The world population of brown bears is estimated at about 200,000 individuals, half of which are in Russia alone, with the US and Canada (with respectively 33,000 and 25,000 brown bears) coming in second and third place. Encroaching and hunting are two of the major threats to bear populations outside of protected areas.

If you would like to see more images of mine, feel free to browse my Galleries.

As per my copyright notice, please respect my work and do not download, reproduce or use the image above without first seeking my consent. Thank you