Last year, Daisy Gilardini, a professional wildlife photographer, decided to go photo hunting for pictures of the Cubs' first steps. Daisy spent 13 days in the park and waited for 117 hours in front of the cave while it was about −122°F (-50 °C) outside. It makes me shiver just thinking about it!

This photo of Gilardini's from Wapusk National Park in Manitoba has won her international accolades. "Photographing these polar bears can be very challenging with the cold weather. At those temperatures, your camera will freeze, your batteries will die and even when your camera is working, you can't check your settings because little crystals form all over it," she said.

"But I knew as soon as I took this photo that I had something special. The mother was so relaxed and I feel there's so much tenderness there ... everybody can relate to that." Gilardini said photographing Canada's polar bears is a big honour.

"I am obviously honoured for the recognition, but what is most important to me is this great opportunity to give a voice to creatures that cannot speak up and bring awareness on habitat loss and climate change through the power of a positive image," she said. "We need to reach peoples' heart and emotions in order to move them to action."

She also photographed bears, penguins. As a child, Gilardini had a large collection of teddy bears and all sorts of stuffed animals. "I was raised in Switzerland at a time where no bears were to be found but I never questioned why I loved the bears so much," she said. "People always ask me if I'm afraid of bears because I spend so much time photographing them, but actually they calm me down." She has never had a bad encounter with one, she said.

Gilardini started photographing the spirit bears in B.C.'s Great Bear Rainforest after she moved to Vancouver five years ago. "I am totally fascinated by this complex ecosystem where everything is interconnected and I feel deeply grateful to be among the few people who have been privileged to see and photograph it," she said. She said her guide called this sleeping bear Mushroom, because it liked to get "high on mushrooms," she said with a laugh.

"So we got really close, so close that I could hear him breathing. The bear didn't care but would take a peek at us." The federal government recently rejected the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, but that wasn't the case when Gilardini snapped this photo.

"As environmental photographers, it is our duty to capture the beauty of places and species at risk and raise awareness trough the universal power of the images we capture." If you like photos and want to see her other animal photos please visit her web site (www.daisygilardini.com). All images credit: Daisy Gilardini