EXCLUSIVE: **NO NEW YORK POST OR NEWS CORP USAGES** Story from Jam Press (Polar Bear Nursing) Pictured: A mother polar bear nursing her cubs after emerging from hibernation. Incredible video footage shows polar bear tenderly nursing and playing with cubs after hibernating for six months ??" ahead of International Polar Bear Day A photographer has captured the heart-warming moment a polar bear mum nurses and feeds her cubs after hibernating for six months. Brian Matthews, 42, Hartlepool, County Durham, was photographing wildlife scenes in the Wapsuck National Park in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Ahead of International Polar Bear Day (27 February), the photographer has shared rare images revealing a family of polar bears frolicking in the snow ??" with the mum watching over her cubs. Brian spent up to 12 hours tracking and observing the bears in temperatures as low as -65?oC, battling against ice-cold winds, alongside his team. Despite the freezing temperatures, he managed to film the polar bear's loving interactions with her cubs??in an adorable video that shows the love and tenderness of the marine mammal. In the footage, the mum can be seen feeding two of the cubs after they emerge from their den, where she had been hibernating for half a year. Hilariously, despite her six-month-long snooze, she appears to attempt to nap while one of her cubs tries to get her attention before snuggling up in her thick, white fur. The videos clearly demonstrate the close bond between the majestic animals ??" who are fast becoming extinct. Polar bears will typically give birth to anywhere from one to four cubs, weighing roughly one pound, between November and January. The mum will stay inside her den, nursing them until they reach up to 22-33 pounds, while she hibernates and fasts. After emerging from their cosy spot, the family will typically spend a couple of weeks in the vicinity of the den before making their way to the sea, where the mum can catch food such as ringed and bearded seals. The cubs Brian captured were building up the strength to walk across the ice to the sea so their mum could hunt and eat for the first time in months. "The bears have just come out of their dens and the cubs are tiny but quickly have to get strong enough to walk 35 miles to Hudson Bay so their mothers can hunt and eat for the first time in six months," he told Jam Press. ??sThe cubs in the photos were building up their strength playing and trying to keep warm while the mother wasn't bothered by the cold ??" they would often fall asleep in front of us, letting the drifting snow entomb them.??? Pictured: GV,General View World Rights, No Australia Rights, No Russia Rights, No United Kingdom Rights