Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/bear-cub-seaside/

Young animals carry childhood stories from their early adventures with their mothers and siblings. Those adventures are needed to teach them survival skills and to familiarize themselves with the environment. Mothers take them to different areas where they can hunt for food. They’ll show the young ones the ropes and at the same time enjoy a fun outing. Although the babies have the freedom to roam outdoors, it is still vital to be close to their mothers. If not, they might put themselves in danger, especially when traversing an unfamiliar place. There’s also a possibility of a territorial animal encounter. A perilous situation can be avoided with the mother’s guidance — the outing could still continue despite the threat.

Bears are one of those animals that take their cubs on outdoor explorations. The mother bear is known for being protective of her cubs, and she stays with them for about 16 to 17 months. She raises the young ones all alone until they are ready to be independent. Also, the mother and cub separate ways during mating season. It’s also a strategy to avoid any problem with the potential mate. While there’s still time, the female bear would go on trips with them — strengthening their bonds out of genuine love and care. They would explore the woods and sometimes the unfamiliar seaside.

A mother black bear was seen with her two adorable cubs wandering around the seaside. It was their first trip there together, and she was searching for something to feed her babies. The cubs were bravely traversing the area as they followed their mom. They also can’t help but play and stop whenever they discover something interesting. Lots of things distracted them, but they still kept up with their mother, especially when the tide might come back in an hour. Mama Bear would often look behind her back to ensure that her babies were still following her.

After a while of wandering, the mom stopped in an area where she detected food. With her mighty paws, she removed rocks out of the way and found a delectable meal. Tiny crabs were living under the rocks, so she removed as many as she could so her cubs could eat as well. She showed them how to safely do it, and the babies imitated her. There were also bigger crabs, but her cubs might get nipped and hurt. The mother made the young ones settle for smaller crabs for the time being. When they become older and stronger, the black bear cubs will surely have a taste of the bigger crab since they mostly hunt food by the sea. Overall, their trip was a success — tummies were full, and curiosity was fed. They even had the time to play around.

However, their bonding time was shortly interrupted by a lurking threat. There was another black bear in the area larger than the mother. Apparently, the family trespassed his territory, and coming face to face with him would gravely endanger the cubs. Once they sensed the incoming trouble, the family hurried to a safe hideout. The male black bear tried to find the family through his sense of smell. He was determined to confront the intruders which he found up in the trees. Thankfully, the huge bear didn’t stay for too long. He left his scent marks instead so other trespassers won’t hunt in his territory.

As soon as the coast was clear, the family carefully went out of their hiding places. They did last-minute hunting and carried food in their mouths while traveling back to safety. The tide also returned, which indicated that feeding time had come to an end. It was indeed a fun and educational seaside trip for the cubs. Although they were almost at risk, no one left the place with a scratch or was completely harmed. Mother bear did a great job in raising her cubs and keeping them safe. You can witness that and the whole seaside adventure in the video below.

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog