For the past few months I’ve been working with camera traps at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, supported by a grant from National Geographic. My purpose is to document the path to recovery of the endangered Florida panther.

One of my camera locations recently produced a nice surprise: 68 selfies from a family of Florida black bears playing and scratching on a log. I’ve compiled the series into a short video on my Instagram account, @CarltonWard, and shown below.

Like the Florida panther, the Florida black bear is a great ambassador for the importance of protecting large connected habitats. There are seven black bear populations throughout Florida that have become increasingly isolated from one another by development. Protecting the statewide Florida Wildlife Corridor is one of the best things we can do for the long-term survival of bear and other wildlife that need room to roam.

See my previous blog post, Black Bear Facts. Please follow my efforts to inspire protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor through this National Geographic blog, on Instagram @CarltonWard and through the National Geographic Photo Ark.