Fishermen See Bear Cub Latch on to Boat, Then They Realize He’s Not the Only One

By Carolyn Marie
Mothers are known for seeing their children in the best possible light. We all know of a mother who has overestimated their child’s abilities.
This overestimation often reveals itself in relation to school and sports. Teachers and coaches could likely share plenty of stories of this occurring.
Apparently, animals are not immune to thinking their children are really more skilled than they are. A mother bear in Russia overestimated her baby cubs’ swimming abilities.

This time, it was fishermen, rather than teachers and coaches, who had quite the story to tell. Amazing footage of the interaction between the fishermen and cubs was captured.


Lake Vygozero - Bom island lighthouse-Russian inland waterways.

The mother bear was trying to cross Lake Vygozero with her cubs. She thought that they would be able to make it across, but the cubs were struggling.
Eventually, the mother and cubs became separated as they were sinking more than swimming. The cubs were seconds away from drowning when they saw a boat.
One of the cubs shown in the video clung to the boat, which belonged to fishermen. They were Russian tourists who began filming when one of the cubs showed such desperation to stay alive.

The fishermen’s discussion in the video was translated. According to DailyMail, one man said, “Take a rest, little one, take a rest…But what if [he] bites us?”
The other man replied, “No, he won’t, he’s just clinging on for his life.” They knew that even if there was a risk to their own lives, there was no way they would watch the cub drown.



They used a net to help ease the cub onto the boat. One of the fishermen said reassuringly, “We’ll rescue you, don’t be afraid.”

The cub was heavier than they expected. Still, they were able to rescue the cub despite their fears and his weight.
The other cub was lifted into the netting on the boat and carried. The fisherman took the cubs to the island where their mother was waiting.
I’m sure the mother bear was grateful to see her cubs. The fishermen thought they were looking for fish that day, but instead saved two sinking bear cubs!

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