A bear in Colorado is spreading lots of joy thanks to its curious nature and photogenic face.
The bear apparently took hundreds of selfies with a park ranger’s observational camera and social media users have expressed their delight over the outcome, NewsNation reported Thursday.
The incident happened with one of the nine motion-detecting cameras set up in the Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) system in Boulder.
“Recently, a bear discovered a wildlife camera that we use to monitor wildlife across #Boulder open space. Of the 580 photos captured, about 400 were bear selfies,” the OSMP told followers in a social media post.
The group shared some of the black and white photos that feature the bear looking straight into the camera lens. In one image, the bear is looking off to the side while another shows the animal appearing to have a sheepish look on its face:
Followers were quick to comment on the images, one person writing, “Looks like my camera reel after my kids get a hold of my phone.”
“I’m ready for my close up, Mr DeMille… altho a few of those looked like mug shots,” someone else commented, while another said, “I think he liked what he saw but wondering who that was looking at him!!!”
According to OSMP wildlife ecologist Christians Nunes, “We are fortunate to live in an area with a rich diversity of wildlife species, and these cameras help us to learn what animals are really out there, and what they are up to over the course of a day, a week, or even years.”
Understanding the behaviors of bears is an important part of creating and maintaining safe environments for them and humans, per the Get Bear Smart Society.
“Bears are very curious and will inspect odours, noises and objects to determine if they are edible or playable,” the site read.
“Standing up on its hind legs allows a bear to get more information from its senses of smell, sight and hearing. It is a sign of curiosity, not aggression,” the post concluded.