
A crafty pack of wolves outsmarted a sleuth of brown bears by swooping in to grab their lunch.

The wolves chased the bears out of the area in Taiga, Finland - also known as the Boreal or Snow Forest - after the bears attempted a raid on carrion left in their territory.

Wildlife photographer Craig Jones spent fourteen hours a night in a hide just metres away from the animals to capture the whole encounter on camera.

The alpha male wolf dodges a brown bears defensive swipe in July 2016, in Kuikka, Finland

Three wolves chase a brown bear out of their territory in July 2016, in Kuikka, Finland as they outsmarted a sleuth of brown bears by swooping in to grab their lunch

A wolf and a bear look peaceful in the midst of their territorial battle where wolves chased the bears out of the area in Taiga, Finland - also known as the Boreal or Snow Forest - after the bears attempted a raid on carrion left in their territory

Wildlife photographer Craig Jones spent fourteen hours a night in a hide just metres away from the animals to capture the whole encounter on camera

Craig said: 'What I observed was that the wolves would come as a pack of four and they would stand and watch, one would fade into the background, almost following the bears like a ghost.

'They watched and studied them. Then they followed the bears, rounded them up and diverted them away so they could get hold of the food.'

The wolves rounded on the bears and drove them away from the food, but their encounter was not entirely peaceful and one bear took a hefty swing at a wolf trying to nip at his heels.

Staffordshire-based Craig added: 'It felt absolutely amazing to witness these events, these bears attacking the wolves had not been witnessed like this for some time.

'We were very lucky on our last night with all those attacks. I was told the wolves were quite hungry and they wanted the bears out of the way.

'The alpha male and female run after the bears and split them up to get them away from the food.

'Where the carrion is put is primarily in the wolves territory, so it is the bears coming into the territory.

'They will tolerate them sometimes, but as the photos show, not all the time.'

Photographer Craig Jones said: 'What I observed was that the wolves would come as a pack of four and they would stand and watch, one would fade into the background, almost following the bears like a ghost,' as a wolf flanks a brown bear in Kuikka, Finland

'They watched and studied them. Then they followed the bears, rounded them up and diverted them away so they could get hold of the food,' said the Staffordshire-based snapper

The wolves rounded on the bears and drove them away from the food, but their encounter was not entirely peaceful and one bear took a hefty swing at a wolf trying to nip at his heels

Craig was also lucky enough to witness some internal fighting amongst the brown bears, with two brown bears taking swings at one another in a dispute

'It felt absolutely amazing to witness these events, these bears attacking the wolves had not been witnessed like this for some time,' said Craig Jones

The photographer added: 'The alpha male and female run after the bears and split them up to get them away from the food. 'Where the carrion is put is primarily in the wolves territory, so it is the bears coming into the territory. 'They will tolerate them sometimes, but as the photos show, not all the time.'

Craig was also lucky enough to witness some internal fighting amongst the brown bears, with two brown bears taking swings at one another in a dispute.

The territory lies in a demilitarised zone between Russia and Finland where bears and wolves roam free safe from hunters as the zone requires a permit to access it.

Jones ventured to Finland with his clients, who he takes on photo tours while passing on his lessons in photography, to capture the animals in their natural environment.

Spending five nights locked in the hide with nothing but a couple of mattresses and a compost bin for a toilet, Craig captured the animals during their most active hours in the twenty-four light of Finnish summer.

The territory lies in a demilitarised zone between Russia and Finland where bears and wolves roam free safe from hunters as the zone requires a permit to access it

Jones ventured to Finland with his clients, who he takes on photo tours while passing on his lessons in photography, to capture the animals in their natural environment

Spending five nights locked in the hide with nothing but a couple of mattresses and a compost bin for a toilet, Craig captured the animals during their most active hours in the twenty-four light of Finnish summer

Although the estimated 1,500 bears living in Finland are treated with reverence, wolves do not enjoy the same treatment

Although the estimated 1,500 bears living in Finland are treated with reverence, wolves do not enjoy the same treatment.

The wildlife photographer said: 'Unlike the fox and bear, the wolf has always been feared and hated in Finland, and the wolf has been the symbol of destruction and desolation.

'To the extent that the very name of wolf in Finnish language, 'sushi', means also 'a useless thing' and the by-name hukka means perdition and annihilation.

'While the bear has been the sacred animal in Finland, wolves have always been hunted and killed mercilessly.

'The wolf has been represented as implacable and malicious predator, killing more than it manages to eat.'

The wildlife photographer said: 'Unlike the fox and bear, the wolf has always been feared and hated in Finland, and the wolf has been the symbol of destruction and desolation.'

While the bear has been the sacred animal in Finland, wolves have always been hunted and killed mercilessly

The name of wolf in Finnish language, 'sushi', means also 'a useless thing' and the by-name hukka means perdition and annihilation

In an effort to dispel rumours that wolves are stealing livestock, Finnish photographer Lassi Rautiainen is working with scientists and the Finnish government to tag wolves in order to study their movements

A brown bear pads through the undergrowth as the wolves divert the bears away from their territory in Kuikka, Finland

To find out more about Craig Jones' work and photo tours visit: https://www.craigjoneswildlifephotography.co.uk

In an effort to dispel rumours that wolves are stealing livestock, Finnish photographer Lassi Rautiainen is working with scientists and the Finnish government to tag wolves in order to study their movements.

Craig said: 'He is trying to keep them alive rather than submitting to all the silly folk tales about wolves.'