Sometimes, being in our little modern bubble of technology makes us forget the amazing things that nature can teach us. Despite the fact that humans have separated themselves from the rest of the animal kingdom for thousands of years, we're still all connected somehow.

It's this connection that makes us feel one with our planet and every creature that roams the earth. Consequently, it makes us see stories about animals as touching and heartwarming. This tale is no exception, as it showed human nature at its finest; a human being acting instinctively in aid of a wild mother bear and her cubs despite the extreme danger.

Getting Into Dangerous Waters

 

This story begins in the wild and untamed lands of Russia. Specifically, the setting is in the area of lake Vygozero in the Republic of Karelia, on the northwestern part of the country. This lake is one of the many big freshwater lakes of the region.

The lake is known for its fishing industry and also for being very dangerous for its depth and strong currents. So when a mother bear decided to cross the lake with her two cubs, it was definitely an act of desperation that would not go as she had probably expected.

Taking a Risky Choice

It can sometimes be intriguing for us humans to understand animal behavior, but nature is wise and there’s almost always a reason behind the actions of animals. What this mother bear was doing was completely normal and understandable.

In this particular area of Russia, during the harsh winter months, food becomes extremely scarce. So the bears need to roam around the region to find something to eat, anything that can provide them with the right amount of calories in order to survive. It’s really a life or death situation.

On the Verge of Starvation

Thriving in the tundra is not an easy feat, as these creatures are omnivores. Reportedly up until the middle ages, this type of bear used to be predominantly carnivorous but after humans invaded their territory and started hunting their prey, they had to adapt.

Nowadays, Eurasian bears are mostly omnivores and their diet includes only a small percentage of meat, which is why they also have to eat insects, leaves, plants, and berries for their nourishment. And like all mothers, mother bears tend to be protective of their babies. Hence, it came as no surprise that this particular mama bear was willing to risk her life to feed her cubs. But would it be worth it?

Immersing in Subzero Temperatures

In the hope of finding friendlier lands on the other side of the big lake, this mother bear had to submerge in the near frozen waters but there was another factor that made things difficult. 

Bears are known to be good swimmers. However, this mom still had not taught her cubs how to swim. So she had no choice but to take her little ones on her back. But swimming while carrying her cubs with her weight proved to be a harder workout than she expected. At this point, it seemed uncertain if they were going to make it to the other side.

Water Over Their Heads

The added weight of the two cubs didn’t help at all and ended up making things worse. The mama bear was trying her best to wade through the water but the muscles tend to spasm when coming into contact with freezing waters. 

Most humans would need several layers of special clothes to survive a plunge in Vygozero lake, but bears could only count on the insulation provided by their fur and fats, which decreases dramatically if wet. On top of that, the current of the lake was strong, and the mother bear was not able to fight it, losing her cubs in the middle of the struggle.

Thrown In At the Deep End

Young bears normally start to swim when they reach 30 pounds. However, it seemed that these two cubs hadn’t had proper swimming lessons yet. The mother probably expected them to rise to the occasion and start swimming out of instinct, but clearly, these baby bears were not ready.

Maybe the current was too strong that day, or maybe the temperature of the water was way too cold. But they were paddling helplessly, trying to stay afloat but failing. Things were looking grim by the minute and their mother was leaving them behind.  How would they survive this?

Thrashed By a Very Strong Current

While the cubs were fighting to stay afloat, their mother kept swimming towards the shore. Eventually, she made it safely to one of the many islands of the lake, and she probably waited impatiently for her babies to join her. But they were actually drifting further away from her. 

They were in a very bad position as their young bodies were battling against the cold water and strong current. Swimming was a rigorous exercise that required a lot of energy and the little bears were rapidly getting tired just by trying to keep their head above the water.

They Stopped Fighting the Tide

When lakes are so large like Vygozero is, they can have very strong tides that can easily drag you in a second and an accident like this one is bound to happen. The cubs were unfortunately caught by the current and were being tossed around violently, dragging them downstream and further away from their mother.

After thrashing for some time, completely helpless and now completely out of sight from their mother, the cubs would encounter something very unexpected that would soon change the course of events in a dramatic way. All hope was not lost after all.

The End Was Near

The tension was rising quickly, and their fate was not looking promising at all. The little bears were all alone now and they were probably about to give up from exhaustion. Then, when it looked like everything was lost and the end was near, something appeared out of nowhere. 

A large noisy object could be seen from a distance - it was a fishing boat! And despite the bears probably not knowing what it was (which normally would scare them off), they were in extreme circumstances, and somehow, they knew this thing could be their last resort.

Swimming Toward Their Last Hope

So our brave protagonists gathered all the strength they had left and directed their movement towards this object. Even though it was completely foreign to them, instinctively perhaps, they saw the possibility that they could cling to it and take a breath. 

This time, with the current in their favor, they raced to the boat to escape the freezing waters that were putting their health and lives in danger. The crew on the boat, on the other hand, spotted the bears approaching their ship and were shocked. Their reaction to this was maybe a mixture of fear and surprise.

It's Not Every Day That a Couple of Bears Would Approach You

A couple of Russian fishermen were on the boat and sailing on the lake while on a fishing trip. They were probably thinking it was going to be a typical day on the job, without much excitement. It was just them and the view of the peaceful vast lake for them to enjoy.

But that was not the case on that particular day. To say they were taken aback when they saw the cubs was probably an understatement as they initially didn't know what to do. After all, they were still wild animals, so it must have been a little scary. But they realized the bears were in danger and decided to take action.

A Strong Sense of Duty

The brown bear is the national animal of Russia, and people have tales of the creature in their folklore that date to very early times. So despite being a little worried about the consequences, the fishermen decided they were going to help these amazing creatures.

The two men were not experts on animal care at all, but they held some basic knowledge from working on these wild lands. They basically share the area they work in with the native species, so they felt a moral obligation. One thing was worrying them though; they knew the mother bear was close by and keeping an eye on the cubs.

Mama Bears Are Scary

Female bears are known to be extremely aggressive when protecting their babies. Male brown bears usually attack and eat the cubs so the females have adapted and become more fierce and fearless to be able to battle the males off.

So getting into contact with bear cubs is an extremely dangerous action. It’s normally the cause of serious accidents and attacks involving bears and humans. The fishermen knew this, so they needed to act very carefully and fast, as time was definitely running out for the little ones. It was a risk they were willing to take.

The First Contact

The men decided to start the animal rescue. They got as near as they could to the bears in the water, careful not to crash into them or harm them in any way with the fishing boat. But they were still wondering how on earth they were going to take them out of the freezing waters.

The first cub made it to the side of the boat, its sibling close behind. The bear desperately clung to the boat and tried to climb on its own. The men were nervous, and they just need to trust that things were going to work out in the end. But could they putt it off?

Figuring Out How to Help Was Tough

Leaving their fears behind, the men started to think of a way on how to help the little bears. At first, they thought the bears would be able to hoist themselves onto the surface of the boat.

But they were exhausted from the workout that entailed swimming in the extremely cold lake. Obviously, they were scared of touching the animals with their bare hands, so they needed to come up with another solution. Suddenly, they thought of a perfect solution, using their long nets to try to lift the cubs. This, of course, would be easier said than done.

By the Skin of Their Teeth

While the men thought of a more effective way to bring them up, the first bear needed desperately to rest its tired limbs, so it held onto the boat by its teeth for a second. 

Brown bears were known to have very powerful bites, and this little one was proving he didn’t need to go to the dentist anytime soon. The moment probably didn’t last long but it must have helped the bear find relief even if only for a few minutes. It was time for the two men to do something.

A Touching Gaze Held Between Man & Nature

So they kept trying and trying. They were definitely not going to give up on these two little creatures that were fighting so bravely for their lives. It was like the courage that the bears were showing was inspiring them to try harder. 

In one specific moment, while one of the fishermen was attempting yet again to help the first of the cubs up, they had a bonding moment. The bear suddenly looked up and locked its gaze with the man who was trying so hard to save it.  The special moment was captured by the camera.

Almost There, Keep Going

After the surreal experience of being looked in the eye by a wild majestic animal, there was nothing to do but to give all they had to finish the animal rescue. 

They tried one last time, putting everything they had into that last push. It was all or nothing, as the bears didn’t have much time left so it was a very nerve-racking moment. Finally and laboriously, they were able to help the two cubs up onto the boat. And now, they had two predator animals a few feet away from them, and it didn’t seem very safe.

Sharing a Boat With Two Beasts

Regardless of their size, bear cubs are still bears, with sharp teeth and deadly claws. And as one of them had previously shown, they had an incredibly strong bite. So the fishermen kept their distance and watched them from the other side of the small fishing boat. 

Surprisingly enough, the bears remained calmed and rested on the boat with apparent relief washing over them. They were probably out of energy too, as they were very close to losing their lives. That would traumatize not only humans but other species as well. 

Slowly Building Trust

The baby bears were in what it seemed a state of shock. A lot had happened in very little time. They had lost their mom in the river, they were almost drowning, and they came into contact with a weird large object. Now, they were facing a new species unknown to them - humans.

After making sure they were not a threat, the men decided to get a little closer to inspect the cubs and check if they had any injuries. The poor little guys were shaking and looking confused.  The fishermen had to help them return to their habitat with their mama and soon.

A Dangerous Idea Comes to Mind

So despite the anxiety, they quickly made a decision; and they were not only returning them to a random piece of land. They were going to try something riskier - returning them to their mother. You never want to be between a mama bear and her bear cubs.

The fishermen probably knew that they were putting their lives in danger by doing this, but they thought it was the least the little ones deserved after being through such a traumatizing experience. They deserved to be given the best chance at survival after almost drowning and the best chance was being reunited with their mother.

Finding Clues to Locate Mama Bear

So after getting to the nearest mass of land, where they suspected the mother had gone to, they decided to start looking for clues that she was nearby. They would then leave the baby bears in the nearest place to her so they could leave immediately.

But this was easier said than done and they had to be very, very cautious as the mother could get the wrong idea and sneak up to them and attack. The mama bear was probably looking for them as the reason she didn’t help them out of the water was pure instinct. She must also be worried about her own survival, and that made sense.

Will She Take Back Her Cubs?

Maybe the fishermen had thought then that the boat and the noise would have probably made the mama bear nervous and might have caused her to retreat. After all, she was nowhere to be seen after the rescue operation.

But actually, brown bears tend to not get scared very easily. The ones that are more sensitive to human presence and noises are black bears, which have been known to run away when discovered while rummaging through people’s properties looking for food. Brown bears were a different story, so it was still a very high-risk mission.

Time to Follow the Trail

Getting near the shore where they thought the mama bear was more likely to be and after docking the fishing boat, they started to disembark to initiate the search. Slowly but surely, they tried to control their anxiety.

Very carefully, they scanned the area for any indication that the mother bear could be nearby. They waited for a few minutes before starting to move. When they did, they made sure to never do sudden movements, as they didn’t want to provoke the mama bear and have this whole thing ending up in tragedy - especially not after things were finally looking up.

Finally, It Was Parting Time

After some more time of waiting and tracking her path carefully without leaving the vicinity of the boat, they decided it was time to let the little cubs out. After all, they were not finding anything and the cubs were probably better suited to find their mother.

These fishermen had proved so far that they had hearts of gold with their rescue actions. But they would take their noble intentions into a whole new level when they saw the little bears were too tired from the ordeal and decided to carry them to help them out of the boat.

It’s Normal Behavior

So after leaving them safe on the ground, they said goodbye to the little cubs and watched them disappear into the vegetation, probably following the scent of their mother. The fishermen continued with their fishing day normally, but taking with them the amazing experience they had that day.

Some humans could get confused about why the mother bear disappeared and seemed to have abandoned her cubs. Others would even call it a little cruel on her part, but the truth was, this was completely normal behavior for animals. They need to ensure their own survival first to then tend to their babies.  

A Mother's Survival Instincts

This is normally the case when mothers realize their cubs are not in good health or if they cannot find enough food for her offspring and her - they eat their offspring! In the eyes of a desperate mother, nourishment for her and her surviving babies is so vital that she cannot afford to let anything go to waste.

It might sound a little bit cold for rational beings like us but ultimately, it’s the way nature works and keeps a balance to ensure the survival of all the different species that inhabit the earth.

Other Animals Do It Too

Other species are also known to practice the killing of their offsprings. Like lions, wild dogs, primates, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, and insects have been documented to either kill and feed off their babies in specific situations or to consume the body immediately after a natural death has occurred.

Another reason why they do it is to prevent predators that might be nearby to be attracted by the decomposing carcass. It’s safer for them to get rid of the remains and keep themselves alive and maybe the rest of the litter safe, too.

That Doesn't Mean They're Not Excellent Mothers

But just because extreme circumstances can sometimes drive them to take extreme measures, it doesn’t mean they’re not some of the most protective and dedicated mothers in the animal kingdom. A mama bear normally cares for their health and nurses their cubs to adulthood.

She also trains them and teaches them how to hunt, forage, and fish. In addition, if a predator comes near them, she would get into battle without hesitation, also showing them how to defend themselves and using their sheer size to deter attacks from humans, other bears, and threats.

The Brown Bear Trait

This menacing behavior they display when faced with danger is very typical of Eurasian brown bears. This type of bear normally lives in the northern areas of Eurasia and Northern America. 

They can be divided into Eurasian, Kodiak, Siberian, and Grizzly varieties, and DNA study shows that some of that population fragmentation has been caused by the invasion of humans in their habitats. The little two guys of our story were probably of the Eurasian variety, so it was fortunate that the mother was far away and not witnessing their ordeal and rescue in the end. Thanks to these little cubs and their rescuers for warming our hearts!