What’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever seen in the woods? Chances are, you’ve seen a fair bit of wildlife – but you’d be incredibly lucky to come across a bear. Amazingly, one man didn’t just come across one bear cub, but three – and they were dancing!

Physical education teacher Valtteri Mulkahainen lives in Sotkamo, Finland, and when he’s not at work, he’s busy getting stuck into his photography side-hobby. For the past six years, he’s spent his free time trekking through the countryside, all in the name of capturing a stunning shot of his country’s beautiful wildlife.

Mulkahainen has been lucky enough to snap some breath-taking sights in his time as a photographer, but one of the most impressive yet covers the three bear cubs. It sounds like something out of a fairy tale – and when you learn of the story behind it, you’ll be even more convinced of its magic!

It was June 3, 2013, and Mulkahainen was setting out on an excursion. His goal was to explore the Finnish forest of Martinselkonen, and there wasn’t a chance on earth that he would leave his camera at home. What he stumbled across mid-way through his journey probably made him very grateful to have his camera close by to hand!

Mulkahainen had interrupted quite a scene: a mother bear and her three beautiful cubs. Knowing that he had come across a rare gem, he hid and observed the animals. The sight he was met with was both beautiful and humorous!

The mother bear was doing her usual stuff, but her babies were up to something else.

In an interview with Bored Panda, Mulkahainen said: “The cubs played among themselves like little children.” It makes sense, really – as aggressive as bears can be, the little’uns are like any human child. They just want to play!

“They stood in a circle and began to push each other, stamping their feet,” Mulkahainen told My Modern Met. “It was like dancing in a circle. They stood there for about half a minute, pushing and shoving.”

It must have been an entertaining sight to see, and proof that animals have more human-like qualities than we give them credit for. Three bear cubs dancing is certainly an inspiring scene – we sense another Disney movie on the horizon!

“The cubs behaved like little children,” the photographer continued in his interview with Bored Panda. “They were playing, and even started a few friendly fights. I felt like I was on a playground in front of my house, where small children frolic around. That’s how much they reminded me of little children.

“At one point, the three of them got up on their hind legs and started pushing each other. It was like they were dancing in a circle.”

Mulkahainen continued to hide in a shelter around 50 meters away from the little cubs, unable to take his eyes away from the scene. He told Bored Panda that he photographed the animals all night.

Apparently, these bears are very common in Finland, but they live well out in the wild, so they’re rarely glimpsed by a human. Mulkahainen knew that his interaction with the dancing bears was truly special, and would probably never be repeated again.

Mulkahainen’s collection isn’t just interesting to look at – it also aims to spread awareness. These beautiful animals need our protection to be able to truly flourish in their environment, so we can continue to enjoy rare images like these in the future.

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