Bear with me, I don't know this tune: Cub tries his paws at piano as family of bears enjoy a day in photographer's backyard

• Four families of inquisitive black bears captured on film over three years
• The pictures were taken by Paul Cyr in his Presque Isle garden
• He placed food in strategic positions to entice them into human poses

By STUART WOLEDGE

PUBLISHED: 15:52, 9 October 2013 | UPDATED: 18:21, 9 October 2013

When Baloo sung about the 'Bare Necessities' in the 1967 film The Jungle Book, few would have thought that he might have been referring to equipment such as a camera, car and piano.

But a photographer from the US has snapped four families of black bear, who have been visiting his Presque Isle garden for the past three years, enjoying the modern trappings of everyday life. 

And Paul Cyr's hilarious images demonstrate just how inquisitive the often feared creatures can be.

Enticed: Mr Cyr placed food in the props to encourage the bears to take up human poses, such as this cub, which he snapped as he appeared to line up his own shot

Name that tune: A musical bear cub takes his seat at the piano and starts to hammer out his favourite melody, which is presumably Bare Necessities

No job too small: The bonnet is lifted as this adult bear looks as if he is about to start trying to find out what has gone wrong with his engine

Here's looking at you kid: It appears that it is not just human teenagers that are obsessed with their looks, as this bear catches a glimpse of itself in the mirror

Paws for thought: After a hard day investigating every nook and cranny of Mr Cyr's garden, this cub decided to put his feet up on the reclining armchair

Get your wagons rolling: Two bears clamber aboard the vehicle ready for the off, while two more check the tyres and suspension

In one, a bear cub acts like a professional as he peers into a camera viewfinder as if he is about to take the perfect photograph himself.

Mr Cyr set up props in areas of his garden and waited in a camouflaged hyde to capture the visiting animals in a variety of comical situations.

 

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All one young bear needed, as he took his seat at an old rundown piano, was a 'pork-pie' hat and smoking cigarette, to complete the look as a jazz musician.

In another image, an adolescent bear appears to be checking its reflection in the mirror.

Roll out the barrel: This cub can 'bearly' contain his excitement as he tips the wooden cask towards him in his search of food

Screensaver: Many-a-human choses to save an image of their loved ones to their desktop and judging by this photograph it seems bears are no different

Paul Cyr: The man behind the project, which has taken three years and involved countless props, poses with his camera and a black bear in the background

Don't be scared: Bears have a fearsome reputation, but this squirrel does not seem to be particularly afraid of the bear behind him, despite his obvious size disadvantage

Beautiful: While many of the pictures are unquestionably funny, Mr Cyr managed to capture the true magnificence of the North American creatures

And one shows an adult bear tinkering under the bonnet of his car like an every day mechanic.

Mr Cyr used strategically placed food such as seeds and jam to get the bears to take up the right position for his shots.

He said: 'The bear cub looked like he had handled a camera before.

'I wedged some plexiglass between the camera and tripod and put a blob of jam on it.

'When the cub arrived, he just put his hands in the perfect position. We all laughed.

'For the piano shots, I used sunflower seeds. The bears love them but they are so small, it's hard for them to pick them up, but his paws looked great scraping over the piano keys.' 

Chores: The bear takes a seat in the trailer of a tractor, presumably enticed by the promise of an easy snack, cunningly hidden somewhere in the vehicle

Big beast: The adult in the background demonstrates his size as he stands up on his hind paws, while a cub sniffs the ground

Environment: Mr Cyr's garden in Presque Isle provided a perfect haven for capturing the bears on film. In total he filmed four families over three years

Smile: The black bear cub looks like he is being given a lesson in how to take the perfect picture by one of his discerning parents

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2451072/Paul-Cyr-photographer-leaves-props-family-black-bears-play-with.html#ixzz2hMGCQIaz
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