Shared Moment: Majesty in Motion

A charging brown bear on the hunt

Photograph by Tony Hake
PhotoZone
Dec 01, 2020

IF TONY HAKE HAD BEEN A SALMON, he might have had reason to worry. “It was disconcerting to see a monstrous brown bear running straight at us,” says Hake, who photographed this charge on Moraine Creek in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. His guide was reassuring: “As long as there’s salmon, they don’t care about people.” That proved true. During a full day with these top-tier predators, says Hake, this one was quite accommodating. “He was a pretty poor fisherman, so we got to see him try multiple times.” This shot earned an Honorable Mention in our 2020 photo contest.

More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:

Alaska: Celebrating America’s “Great Land” »
2020 Photo Contest Winners »
See Last Issue's Shared Moment »

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