This is the incredible moment two mighty grizzly bears scratched their backs on a metal pole at the side of a road in Canada after getting an itch while on the prowl.
In one picture the pole is barely visible as the animals’ thick fur wraps around it and in another the pair look like a mirror image of each other.
The pictures were taken on Dempster Highway, north of Tombstone Territorial Park in the Canadian Yukon Territories.
In one picture the pole is barely visible as the animals’ thick fur wraps around it
The pictures were taken on Dempster Highway, north of Tombstone Territorial Park in the Canadian Yukon Territories
Amateur photographer Marcel Gross, 30, from Konolfingen, Switzerland, had been asleep in his rooftop tent when he awoke to see the adorable sight.
He said: ‘I first saw the two grizzly bears when I woke up and opened my tent door.
‘I quickly climbed down the ladder and grabbed my camera and started to take some pictures with my 70-400mm zoom lens from a respectful distance.
Amateur photographer Marcel Gross, 30, from Konolfingen, Switzerland, had been asleep in his rooftop tent when he awoke to see the adorable sight
Photographer Marcel Gross, who took the stunning pictures, said: ‘I first saw the two grizzly bears when I woke up and opened my tent door’
Marcel said he was not worried about the size of the animals and did not feel in danger, adding: ‘The bears had been feeding on roots, berries and leaves the day before and had been totally calm about my presence so I knew it would be okay’
‘Soon I realised that the bears were not disturbed by my presence.
‘The bears had been feeding on roots, berries and leaves the day before and had been totally calm about my presence so I knew it would be okay.
‘This was probably the best and most memorable moment of my epic 403-day trip through the Americas.
One of the bears rubbed its back against the pole in a bid to reach its itch
Marcel said: ‘I was watching these bears for at least one hour. When they started to come closer to the road I moved back into my car and suddenly one of the bears stood on his back legs and started scratching’
He added that he was ‘absolutely surprised’ to see the bears scratching against the pole
‘I was watching these bears for at least one hour. When they started to come closer to the road I moved back into my car and suddenly one of the bears stood on his back legs and started scratching.
‘I was absolutely surprised and almost missed the best shots. I had to change lens again and fortunately they did it again.’