Black bears typically have two cubs, rarely one or three.
In 2007, in northern New Hampshire, a black bear
sow gave birth to five healthy young. There were two or three
reports of sows with as many as four cubs but five was,
and is, extraordinary. I learned of them shortly after
they emerged from their den and set myself a goal of
photographing all five cubs with their mom, no matter how
much time and effort was involved. I knew the trail they
followed on a fairly regular basis, usually shortly before
dark. After spending nearly four hours a day, seven days
a week, for six weeks I had that once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity and photographed them in the shadows and dull
lighting of the evening. I used the equivalent of a very fast
film speed on my digital camera. The print is properly focused
and well exposed, with all six bears posing as if they were in
(Read on….)I stayed in touch with other people who saw the bears during the summer and into
the fall hunting season. All six bears continued to thrive As time for
hibernation approached, I found still more folks who had seen them, and
everything remained OK. I stayed away from the bears as I was concerned
that they might become habituated to me, or to people in general, as
approachable friends. This could be dangerous for bothman and animal.
After Halloween I received no further reports and could only hope the
bears survived until they hibernated.
This spring, before the snow disappeared, all six bears came out of their den
and wandered the same familiar territory they trekked in the spring of 2007.
I saw them before mid-April and dreamed nightly of taking another
family portrait, an improbable second once-in-a-lifetime photograph
On April 25, 2008 I achieved my dream. (Read on …
When something as magical as this happens between man and animal,
Native Americans say, “We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow.”
And so it is with humility and great pleasure that I share these photos with you.
Sincerely, Tom Sears
