Tracking Maine Black Bears | Photographs

Follow a team of wildlife biologists, including photographer Carl D. Walsh, into the winter shelters (yes, that means the dens) of Maine black bears.

By Carl D. Walsh|Dec 21 2016|

"These triplet cubs need a healthy mother to see them through the long winter."

Credit: Carl D. Walsh

Last winter I went deep into the Maine wilderness with wildlife biologist Randy Cross and his crew of technicians in the state’s black bear monitoring program. Their task: tracking Maine’s black bear population. A total of 23,000 bears is the current conservation objective.

In my 23 years of professional photography, I’d never seen a sleeping mother bear in a den with her cubs. As I was shooting, I prayed that mama bear wouldn’t wake up suddenly to find my lens about a foot from her face — I was certain she’d quickly become a most uncooperative subject.

Later, a nine-week-old cub looked me in the eye, sauntered over, and proceeded to climb up my leg. I picked him up by the scruff of his neck. We were eye to eye — an amazingly intimate connection with a wild animal. At times, I had to discipline myself to keep shooting and not stop and play with the little bears.