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Unique friendship between wolf and bear documented by Finnish photographer

3 min read

Flora & Fauna
Unique friendship between wolf and bear documented by Finnish photographer
Source: Lassi-Rautiainen

Bear and wolf strike up unlikely partnership as photographer captures both animals sharing a meal on several nights.

The bear and the wolf

Finnish photographer Lassi Rautiainen was able to capture the unlikely “friendship” of a female grey wolf and male brown bear, documenting the unusual pair over the course of ten days in 2013. The duo went everywhere together, hunting as a team and sharing their spoils.

Each evening after a hard-day’s hunting this pair of unlikely friends could be seen sharing a convivial deer carcass meal together as the sun set over their wilderness home. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen

The unlikely pair hung out together for at least 10 days

A female gray wolf and a male brown bear were spotted every day for ten consecutive days, hanging out together, playing and even sharing food.

“It’s very unusual to see a bear and a wolf getting on like this” Finnish photographer Lassi Rautiainen, now 62, told the Daily Mail in 2013 when he took these surprising photos. “From what I could find, it’s actually the first time, at least in Europe, where such a friendship was developed.”

“No-one can know exactly why or how the young wolf and bear became friends,” Lassi continued. “I think that perhaps they were both alone and they were young and a bit unsure of how to survive alone…It is nice to share rare events in the wild that you would never expect to see.”

Lassi’s guess is as good as any, as there are no scientific studies on the matter, and these cases are extremely rare – especially in the wild.

“It seems to me that they feel safe being together,” Lassi adds.

All image credits: Lassi Rautiainen

However, this male bear and female wolf clearly see the softer side in one another and eat dinner together.

Both are meant to be isolated hunters that strike fear into everything they meet. However, this male bear and female wolf clearly see the softer side in one another and eat dinner together. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen

The pair were seen participating in what can only be described as play Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
Each evening after a hard-day's hunting this pair of unlikely friends met for supper
Table for two: Each evening after a hard-day’s hunting this pair of unlikely friends met for supper Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
The heart-warming pictures of this unusual partnership were captured by nature photographer Lassi Rautiainen, 56, in the wilds of northern Finland. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
Rare pictures show how the young brown bear and grey wolf would sit down to eat together and even enjoy the views over the landscape for up to two-hours.
Unhurried mealtimes Rare pictures show how the young brown bear and grey wolf would sit down to eat together and even enjoy the views over the landscape for up to two-hours. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
Like something from a Disney movie Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
Even scientists are baffled by the relationship between the bear and the wolf, but the pair seemed content enough in each other’s company.
Nature is full of surprises Even scientists are baffled by the relationship between the bear and the wolf, but the pair seemed content enough in each other’s company. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
'I think that perhaps they were both alone and they were young and a bit unsure of how to survive alone.
‘No one can know exactly why or how the young wolf and bear became friends,’ said Lassi. ‘I think that perhaps they were both alone and they were young and a bit unsure of how to survive alone. Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
These best friends were spotted meeting up every night for ten days straight Source: Lassi-Rautiainen
Unusual wild animal friendship - Bear and Wolf in Finland Wild animals obey strict rules of the animal kingdom, as it helps them survive in the environment full of potential threats. It is more common to see the same species looking after each other’s back, and spotting friendly interspecies relationships in the wild is not common. But Lassi Rautiainen was lucky enough to spot such an unlikely pair. Source: YouTube/DataCube

This article was first published on BrightVibes on 14 October 2019.

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