Appleton photographer captures a uncommon whats up from a bear cub in Alaska

An Appleton man just lately went viral for briefly making an unlikely buddy – and capturing it on video.

Bruce Danz, a photographer and retired household doctor, was on a six-day wildlife images tour in Alaska final month, when a curious brown bear cub approached and nibbled his boot.

Danz caught the entire interplay on is digital camera – then shared the video to Facebook, the place it began to be reshared across the web, Danz stated. His video has since been featured in massive publications like the New York Times and People.

“I’m famous now,” Danz joked.

Danz, who has been a serious photographer because the mid-Nineties and received into wildlife images round a decade in the past, was on a wildlife images journey particularly designed to provide photographers entry to coastal brown bears. The journey was his second time visiting Alaska; the final was in 1980. He plans to return in 2028.

Throughout the journey, Danz stated, the group had a bush pilot and a information, and the group would hike 4 to six miles a day, at occasions wading into water. They would spend hours watching the coastal brown bears catch salmon. He described the expertise as “just pure fun.”

Alaska’s coastal brown bears, generally known as “exterior” bears, reside in a area that has plentiful meals and assets – particularly from mid-July by the top of September. As a end result, they will develop very massive (see: fat bear week) and are typically extra easygoing than inside brown bears – that are generally referred to as grizzlies. While any bear can pose a hazard to people, Danz famous, the coastal brown bears at the moment of yr have little curiosity in respectful human guests.

Danz stated the wildlife tour’s proprietor, Jerry Jacques, has been taking photographers on excursions to see Alaskan bears for greater than 4 many years – and has by no means had anybody get injured, or wanted to make use of bear spray or a firearm to cease a bear assault.

So, on Aug. 2, the ultimate day of the group’s journey, Danz didn’t really feel concern whereas observing bears at Katmai National Park and Preserve in King Salmon, Alaska. He had famous all through journey that there have been numerous cubs round – indicating the earlier yr should have been an excellent yr for fish.

But then, one curious little buddy determined to get a better look. A spring cub broke away from his mom and two siblings, and approached Danz – with a nibble whats up.

“He was very hesitant, and I didn’t think he was going to do it,” Danz stated. “But I wasn’t totally surprised, because, you know, animals that age, everything goes in their mouth. If you’ve had puppies, that’s how they explore the world, if you’ve had a human baby, that’s how they explore the world – with their mouth.”

Danz stated Jacques advised him he had by no means beforehand seen a bear contact a member of his excursions.

While Danz stated he was not afraid throughout the interplay, he credit that to trusting his skilled and ready tour group – and advises individuals to not attempt to drive an identical encounter with wild animals.

“He was so cute, but in about two years, he won’t be nearly that cute,” Danz stated.

Being in a position to seize not often seen interactions is one thing Danz values in images, which he calls his “appreciation tool.”

“It gets me outside, looking at things, doing things I wouldn’t normally be doing during the times of the day, times of the year I probably wouldn’t be there,” he stated.

When it involves taking pictures of animals, Danz stated he considers images fundamentals like composition and good lighting, however greater than that, he tries to seize “the soul of the animal” – one thing that the common particular person doesn’t normally get to see in a wild animal.

In this case, Danz stated, he interprets the bear cub gave him a sassy look on his return to his mom.

“On the way back, he had this obvious side eye at me … like, ‘You said it was OK,'” Danz stated. “I’m putting words in his mouth, of course. He didn’t really say that.”

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.