Remembering Bears

Remembering Bears is the seventh book in the celebrated Remembering Wildlife fundraising series, which has so far raised more than £1.28m GBP / $1.66m USD for conservation projects since it began in 2016. The aim of the creators is to make the most beautiful book ever seen on a species and to use that to raise awareness of the plight facing that animal and also funds to protect it. Each book is full of images generously donated by many of the world’s top wildlife photographers, with 88 contributing this year.

There can be few species that we humans have such a contradictory relationship with than bears. From hugging toys of them at night as children, to labelling them as anything from a nuisance to a threat, entertainment to medicine, we are nothing but hypocritical in how we relate to this most awe-inspiring creature. At Remembering Wildlife, we believe it is time to stop and think about this contradiction.

As you’ll see in this stunning collection of images, the eight bear species (American black bears, Andean bears, Asiatic black bears, Brown bears, Giant pandas, Polar bears, Sloth bears and Sun bears) roam from ice sheets to forests, meadows to mountains. From tender moments with their young, to fierce territorial battles between males, we tell their story in a way that commands respect, awe and reappraisal.

With this book, we aim to shine a spotlight on their diversity and beauty, their resilience and fortitude and most importantly, to raise funds for those working to protect them. We are supported in this mission once again by many of the world’s top wildlife photographers, who have all generously donated their work. Together, we are determined to stand up for bears and penetrate the moral consciousness of all those who would exploit or see them destroyed. Because the planet would be poorer without them.

Remembering Bears won Silver in the Photography category at the 2024 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY Awards).

Margot Raggett MBE is a British wildlife photographer, conservationist, and the founder of Remembering Wildlife. In 2014, while on safari in Northern Kenya, she witnessed a poached elephant – an experience that changed her life and set her on a mission to make a tangible difference for endangered species.

Determined to take action, Margot asked fellow photographers to contribute images to a fundraising book. The response was overwhelming and unanimous – and Remembering Elephants, the first in what would become a landmark series, was born.

Margot was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) on the King's Birthday Honours list in 2024 for services to wildlife conservation. She has united the global wildlife photography community, with over 300 photographers donating images across the series.