A surprise encounter on a hiking trail in Alaska. This was taken in Katmai National Park, where the bears are so focused on Salmon that they almost literally have no concept of humans, either positive or negative. The official instructions from the National Park Service are to back up slowly (which isn't always productive since bears walk about 4x the speed of us), and then to step off the trail and let the bear pass. I spend a LOT of time around bears, and I assure you that our actions here are 100% in accordance with guidance from the NPS and the wildlife biologists on location.
This is a young Alaskan brown bear, and this is right before the salmon run (which is why he's so skinny). He's not starving to death, he's exactly where he should be for his age and time of year.
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