National Geographic Photo of the Day: August 23rd of 2015

August 23, 2015

Well, Hello There

Photograph by Laura Keene, National Geographic Your Shot

“It was a surreal experience to be in the presence of these magnificent creatures,” writes Your Shot member Laura Keene of photographing this seemingly approachable pair of bears in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Keene says they stood and appeared to wave in greeting when a nearby pair of cubs captured their attention. Polar bears, she says, “congregate on the barrier islands off Kaktovik in northern Alaska every fall to partake of leftovers from Inupiat whaling [activity] before the Beaufort Sea freezes and they move on to hunt seal.”