There may be nothing cuter than a polar bear cub. Except, of course, multiple polar bear cubs. And a full-grown adult polar bear thrown in for good measure.
That's the un-bear-ably (sorry) cute scene photographer Thomas Kokta captured in the wilderness of Manitoba, Canada, earlier this winter, as he documented the young polar bear cubs emerging from their dens. Per a release from the Caters photography agency, fewer than 500 people are estimated to have witnessed polar bear cubs emerging from their dens in the wild.
And they weren't just any polar bear cubs, either. Armed only with his camera and what he says is a "rare operating permit," Kokta has had the good fortune of photographing polar bear triplets, an extremely rare occurrence.
Polar bears are considered a "vulnerable" species, with population declines expected to mirror deteriorating sea ice in the coming decades due to climate change. If warming trends continue, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature speculates polar bears could be completely displaced from their current habitat within 100 years.
Photos of the polar bear and her three adorable cubs:
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