Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

It’s estimated that only 1 – 3% of polar bear moms give birth to triplets and that the mortality rate of the cubs is more 50% in their first three months of life. Thus, this mom and her 10 month old triplets have beaten all odds. In fact, in the past 18 year s, this is only the second set of triplets spotted in this area beyond the month of November. Very occasionally, I stumble across an incredibly rare phenomena the first time I enter a new environment. The day this image was captured was my very first day in the world – famous Churchill Wildlife Management area. Each October and November this area becomes one of the densest populations of polar bears in the world. The bears congregate here as they wait for the sea ice to freeze. Once frozen, they emerge onto the ice so they can hunt for seals for the duration of the Arctic winter. For moms with cubs, this will be their cubs’ first full winter completely icebound among the vast Hudson Bay.