Item Number: 1564LR
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Mangelsen – Images of Nature Gallery
ABOUT THE IMAGE:
The picturesque McNeil River and adjacent Mikfik Creek are legendary for its rendezvous of giant brown bears that assemble annually for the salmon run. While the bruins can be notoriously grumpy during those stretches of the year when wild foods are scarce, they seem to declare a peace treaty when they converge upon the McNeil and its tributaries, agreeing to put quarreling aside when there is an abundance of fish to share.
The McNeil and Mikfik are managed as a bear sanctuary where mothers can raise their young and pass down their knowledge to cubs. For youngsters, as any human can relate in thinking of their own childhood, it’s a realm where bears frolic and enjoy a more carefree existence.
“I derive a huge amount of satisfaction when my photographs inform viewers about things they might not ordinarily consider,” Mangelsen says. “Here, it’s not just a meeting of bears around salmon in a breathtaking place. It’s a story about timing, of natural phenomena bringing together predator and prey as it’s been happening over eons. The cycles of nature are sophisticated and highly tuned. They function in ways we may never fully comprehend.”
