Image: Valtteri Mulkahainen

"Now that I’m 57 I'm yearning for grandkids, and bear cubs are like young children—playing, fighting, playing again," said Valtteri Mulkahainen of his fondness for Finland’s brown bears (Ursus Arcto).

Image: Valtteri Mulkahainen

Mulkahainen, who lives in Sotkamo, north-east Finland, has nabbed several international photography awards, most recently winning the 2018 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards for his series of a family of brown bears entitled ”Mother Returns from a Parents’ Meeting.”

Image: Valtteri Mulkahainen

”The cubs were up in the tree for about an hour. They were just like little kids and couldn’t wait peacefully and kept running up and down,” he explained of his winning entry depicting the family life of Europe’s largest predator.