These captivating images show a polar bear cub exploring the outside world for the very first time.
After spending three months with its mother in a den that she had dug out of the snow, the cub is now getting ready to learn to hunt.
Photographers Andre and Anita Gilden, both 54, waited for five days outside the den in temperatures dropping to minus 40 degrees Celsius to catch the beautiful moment in Manitoba, Canada.
Andre, 54, said: 'When we arrived there were no paw prints around the den so we knew we would be catching the mother coming out with her cub for the first time. 'It was incredible - the little one still has a long way to go but his mother will be keeping a close eye on him.'When we found the den only breath was coming out and there were no tracks around it.
The bears stay near their dens for around 12 days before trekking to the sea ice to hunt. The cub, which already weighed around 10-15kg, needed to acclimatize to the paw-numbing cold, build its strength and get used to walking on the snow.
After spending three months with its mother in a den that she had dug out of the snow, the cub is now getting ready to learn to hunt.
Photographers Andre and Anita Gilden, both 54, waited for five days outside the den in temperatures dropping to minus 40 degrees Celsius to catch the beautiful moment in Manitoba, Canada.
Andre, 54, said: 'When we arrived there were no paw prints around the den so we knew we would be catching the mother coming out with her cub for the first time. 'It was incredible - the little one still has a long way to go but his mother will be keeping a close eye on him.'When we found the den only breath was coming out and there were no tracks around it.
The bears stay near their dens for around 12 days before trekking to the sea ice to hunt. The cub, which already weighed around 10-15kg, needed to acclimatize to the paw-numbing cold, build its strength and get used to walking on the snow.
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