Bear strikes up unlikely friendship with a WOLF

Photographer captures both animals sharing dinner on several nights

By Anna Edwards
PUBLISHED:  4 October 2013 

Both are meant to be isolated hunters that strike fear into everything they meet.

But this male bear and female wolf clearly see the  softer side in one another and eat dinner with one another.

Each evening after a hard-day's hunting this pair of unlikely friends could be seen sharing a romantic deer carcass meal together as the sun set over their wilderness home. 

Dinner for two: Each evening after a hard-day's hunting this pair of unlikely friends met for supper

Rare pictures show how the young brown bear and grey wolf would sit down to eat together and even enjoy romantic views over the landscape for up to two-hours

The unlikely friends could be seen sharing a romantic deer carcass meal together as the sun set over their wilderness home

Rare pictures show how the young brown bear and grey wolf would sit down to eat together and even enjoy romantic views over the landscape for up to two-hours.

The heart-warming pictures of this unusual partnership were captured by nature photographer Lassi Rautiainen, 56, in the wilds of northern Finland. 

'No-one can know exactly why or how the young wolf and bear became friends,' said Lassi. 

'I think that perhaps they were both alone and they were young and a bit unsure of how to survive alone. 

These best friends were spotted meeting up every night for ten days straight 

Share with me! The predators would happily share their spoils with each other

Welcome to the club: The bears seemed to welcome the lone wolf into their company in Finland

'It seems to me that they feel safe being together, and so every evening met up for their dinner.'

These best friends were spotted meeting up every night for ten days straight for the time Lassi spent with them.

From between 8pm and 4am they would stay in each other's company for hours.
Lassi said: 'When I realised that no one had observed bears and wolves living near each other and becoming friends in Europe, I concentrated more and more on getting pictures to show what can happen in nature. 

'Then I came across these two and knew that it made the perfect story.

'It's very unusual to see a bear and a wolf getting on like this. 

'It is nice to share rare events in the wild that you would never expect to see.'

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