Photographer captures rare friendship between male bear and female wolf

"It is nice to share rare events in the wild that you would never expect to see.”

By Ainsley Smith | Good News – Thu, 13 Aug, 2015, Source

The saying “opposites attract” rings true with this unusual friendship, as a female grey wolf and a male brown bear have developed a very rare bond.

The pair’s uncommon friendship was captured in Finland by wildlife photographer Lassi Rautiainen. The two animals appear to be inseparable, even when it comes time to hunt; Rautiainen’s photos confirm that the wolf and bear even hunt and share their meals together.

It is fascinating to see these two wild animals interacting with one another, as the two species are often considered natural enemies. They are both known to be protective over food and their young. A wildlife photographer would be far more likely to see these two animals in violent stand-offs, as opposed to friendly adventures.

Rautiainen noted, “No one can know exactly why or how the young wolf and bear became friends, but I think that perhaps they were both alone when they were young and a bit unsure of how to survive alone. it seems to me that they feel safe being together.”

According to the Daily Mail, the pair were spotted together every evening for the ten consecutive days that Rautiainen spent in this particular area. 

“When I realized that no one had observed bears and wolves living near each other and becoming friends in Europe, I concentrated more and more on getting pictures to show what can happen in nature,” Rautiainen said.

“Then I came across these two and knew that it made the perfect story. It’s very unusual to see a bear and a wolf getting on like this. It is nice to share rare events in the wild that you would never expect to see.”