Arctic Lovers

Nunavut

The subjects in this photo are the same bears that will be seen in "Determination" and "State of Grace". We had originally encountered two males fighting over the female during mating season. The victorious male pursued the female up into the mountains, where we could not safely follow. We later encountered them in this secluded spot almost hidden in the ice heaves surrounding the island. To my surprise, they were mating! I did not want to disturb them, so we kept our distance, as you can tell from this shot. At the end of the intimate moment, they snuggled in together for a tender cuddle, prompting the title "Arctic Lovers". A few minutes after I got this shot, they walked off into the distance and back up into the mountains. I'm pretty certain that David thought I was crazy to photograph such a scene, but it was a very unique and rare encounter in nature.