A tiny brown bear cub gave wildlife watchers an unforgettable glimpse of the bond between a mother and her young when it climbed onto its mother’s back as she swam across an Alaskan river.
The mother bear had been searching the water for salmon, one of the favorite foods of brown bears in Alaska. While she worked to catch fish, her young cubs remained nearby, learning to navigate the water and follow their mother.
When the mother began making her way back across the river, one especially small cub found a clever way to conserve energy. It climbed onto its mother’s back and held on as she carried it through the water.
The cub was a spring brown bear cub, also known as a cub of the year (COY), meaning it had been born that same spring. At such a young age, swimming across a river can be a considerable challenge, making its mother’s back the perfect place to catch a ride.
The touching encounter took place in Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, an area famous for its spectacular brown bears and salmon-filled rivers.
Mother bears face many challenges while raising their cubs in the wild. Young bears depend heavily on their mothers during their early years, learning how to find food, move through their environment and survive on their own.
For this little cub, though, the lesson that day was simple: when the river gets too tiring, sometimes the safest place to be is right on Mom’s back.