A wildlife photographer’s shot of a lifetime… and they didn’t even use their camera.
Josh Addison is a nature photographer that often finds himself in the right place at the right time. That’s not by chance, of course. Those that spend the most time in the wild obviously know the best spots for seeing animals native to the area. And if you are looking for a brown bear, there’s no better place to be than a salmon-filled stream.
Though bears will eat just about anything, they might not have a snack that they favor more than salmon. Especially these coastal browns who have all you can eat buffets in Alaska. The large animals will often spend hours fishing, and are normally successful in their endeavors. Some bruins have been known to catch and eat over 30 salmon in one day.
A bear’s speed and razor-sharp talons make them perfect anglers. That was on full display in this video that was captured by Addison, and funny enough, it wasn’t even captured with the camera he went out with. The action got so close to him that the video was shot with what looks like his phone.
The brown bear had its sights set on a salmon, and was going to stop at nothing to make it a meal. Even with the photographers set up by the river, the apex predator kept its eyes on the prize. It eventually landed the sockeye salmon mere feet away from where Josh Addison was set up:
“The wild moment a brown bear catches a sockeye salmon right in front of me in Alaska! Just a few feet away, my telephoto lens was useless.”
@josh.r.addison Close range fishing bear action! Love Alaska so much #bears #alaska #fishing #sockeye ♬ original sound – Josh Addison
A truly impressive catch – both by the bear and the photographer (even though his lens became useless).
I can’t imagine seeing a brown bear actively hunting from that close up. Was the wildlife photographer probably a little too close for comfort? You bet. The National Park Service typically recommends a buffer zone of about 100 yards between people and bears, no matter how experienced you might be (I’d guess this guy spends a whole lot of time out in the wilderness).
But the truth is, these coastal browns are so well-fed, fat and happy on salmon, they are generally much more mild-mannered compared to grizzlies inland. They’re usually bigger too (getting big off all the fish they catch and release… into their mouths), which allows for photographers, tour guides and hikers to get much closer than you’d ever expect.
Like I mentioned earlier, the brown bear wasn’t interested in messing with any wildlife photographers that day. It was preoccupied with catching a fish, and making it look easy for the camera.
