Igor Shpilenok works in the reserve at Kamchatka, Russia. Igor is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a winner of the 2006 BBC Wildlife Photographer Competition. Igor’s work has been published in numerous international and Russian magazines, including Smithsonian, National Wildlife, Geo, and BBC Wildlife.

“How does a bear behave when encounter a human? In most cases he runs away. But before running he almost always would rise to stand on his rear feet. And this behavior does not indicate the attack, as many people think.

On a rare occasion a bear might start an attack on human after getting up on rear feet. But for the actual attack he will get back on all fours anyway.

It is an amazing experience to see a bear standing up on his rear feet: animal resemblance with humans is phenomenal. The head of this large mammal is usually raised over 6.5 feet above the ground at these moments.

Sometimes a bear stands up on his feet during fishing; this way he can better see fish in the water”. – Igor Shpilenok. (Photos by Igor Shpilenok via Wildlife Photo Russia)