• Valtteri Mulkahainen chanced upon a family of bears, with the young ones playing and “dancing” around.
• He was located 50 meters away and in the perfect position to take the photos.
• It’s quite rare to see this sight since bears avoid humans as much as possible.

In June 2013, Valtteri Mulkahainen was exploring the forest area around the town of Martinselkonen in Finland when he saw something truly adorable and not usually seen by people. He chanced upon a bear, with her three cubs in tow, come into a clearing.

After a few moments, those three cubs started to “dance.” The big bear, presumably the mother, was sitting a few feet away, like a human parent watching over her kids.

That was what his camera captured – the three black cubs forming a circle, looking like tribes people dancing like they would around a fire.

It’s like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

Mulkahainen, who is a physical education teacher, spends most of his free time in photography. He has been shooting his country’s wildlife for the past six years.

Momma bear sits just a few feet away, watching her kids.

Valtteri said:

“The cubs behaved like little children. They were playing, and even started a few friendly fights… At one point, the three of them got up on their hind legs and started pushing each other. It was like they were dancing in a circle.”

He was positioned 50 meters away in a shelter, which gave him the perfect view to take these magical photos.

“I photographed the cubs with the bear all evening and all night,” he said.

It’s quite common to see bears pretty much everywhere in Finland, with the exception of the Åland Islands. What is rare is seeing the bears like in this setting.

The furry ones are rarely seen in the wild because they avoid humans as much as they could. They can always sense when there are humans nearby, thanks to their keen senses.

Bears are strong and agile creatures with forelegs perfect for walking around and hunting. They are also good climbers and swimmers.