Welp… this black bear showcasing its stellar climbing ability is both an impressive and pretty terrifying sight to see.
It’s estimated that around 400,000 bears live in the United States, and in certain parts of the country, residents have to always be on alert and keep an eye out for bears. Black bears make up most of that total number (around 300,000), and one place where they are often spotted is Glacier National Park.
Wildlife is abundant there, as over 70 different mammal species call the national park home, and mule deer are often easy to spot across the beautiful landscape. More than three million people visit Glacier each year to try and catch a glimpse of the variety of wild animals (like bears, mountain goats, and bighorn sheep).
These traveling tourists had the perfect view – and got a phenomenal video – of a mother bear scaling a tree to save her cubs stuck at the top.
In case you didn’t know, climbing is just another thing that black bears are good at. They truly are apex predators, and can chase down prey in just about any way imaginable. That’s probably not what you want to hear if you are about to head out on a hike in bear country (just don’t forget to pack bear spray).
Good luck outrunning them. They can reach speed as fast as 30 miles per hour. Want to try out swimming them? Unless your name is Michael Phelps, that probably won’t end well either, since they can swim at a speed of 5 miles per hour. Maybe you are thinking about out climbing a black bear? After watching this video, you won’t.
This mother black bear was definitely in the climbing mood because her three little ones had climbed up to the tippy top of a tree, and they had apparently been up there long enough for the mama to get worried. So she did what any good mom would do and went after them… and got up the Glacier National Park tree fast.
Some retired RV-ers were right there next to the tree to capture it all on video, and they were mesmerized by the mother’s climbing skills:
“In all our years of travels through national parks this has to be the number one highlight! We drove through Glacier National Park this morning around 6:30 a.m. on our way to hike to Avalanche Lake and came across this amazing sight!
We could have sat there all day and watched mama bear with her three babies! They were so high in that tree it made us nervous! She sat at the base waiting patiently for them until she finally decided to go up after them… what a sight!”
Putting that strength and those razor-sharp claws to work.
That black bear made climbing the tree look easy, and it looks like her little cubs are quite the climbers as well. And speaking of “climb tree,” you know what song this bear and these cubs would love? (IYKYK)
“Fish Hunt Golf Drink” by Luke Bryan
