November 5, 2018

The little bear.

67 comments:

Achilles said...

I would not feel comfortable being that close to that pair just watching how the mother watched that cub.

Saint Croix said...

That was funny and then it was oh shit.

Saint Croix said...

The Bear is a great movie, by the way.

Robt C said...

I don't get why Mom brushed that snow the first time the little thing almost made it to the top, causing it to slide aaaaalllll the way back down

gspencer said...

"Com'n, willya, there are picnic baskets up here"

Fernandinande said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Fernandinande said...

Ziya Tong posted the video on Twitter, saying 'We could all learn a lesson from this baby bear'

Don't let your mom hibernate above tree line - thanks, Ziya!

"In the Yellowstone ecosystem, grizzly bears tend to dig or locate dens on the mid to upper one-third of 30°-60° slopes with northern exposures between 6,562-10,006 ft in elevation. Pregnant females den at higher elevations than other females and male bears."

This little stroll was likely the cub's first experience outside the den.

Birkel said...

Mama = Republican
Cub = Democrat

(Just being silly, NPCs.)

William said...

I like the way you could see the shadow of the eagle on the white snow. Adds a bit more suspense to the drama......The little bear persevered and finally overcame that white wall to join her mother. Thus is like some kind of allegory of how little brown children will overcome the rhetoric of Trump and join their spiritual mother Hillary on top of the mountain.

traditionalguy said...

Practice makes perfect. That warmed our hearts.

Ann Althouse said...

"I don't get why Mom brushed that snow the first time the little thing almost made it to the top, causing it to slide aaaaalllll the way back down."

I think she spots the drone (the camera) and feels it's a threat.

Ann Althouse said...

Kind of ruins the film once you realize the camera was affecting their climbing.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Ann Althouse said...

I think she spots the drone...

Was this a drone camera? I saw it zoom and pan, but I didn't detect any change in the location of the camera during the video.

Fernandinande said...

The Bear is a great movie, by the way.

If you like Disney cartoons.

"Over one-third of all brown bear cubs will die during the mating season. And over 90 percent of those fatalities will be at the claws and maws of unrelated males.

Wilbur said...

At least it didn't take him since 1908.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The mom needed to go straight out and then climb (instead of the up and down westward zigzag) to climb where the angle was less steep for the little one. It was a good thing the little one just kept sliding in the direction it needed to go.

Failing in the right direction.

James K said...

So where was papa bear in all of this? At his day job, or off shooting pool with the guys?

Howard said...

Traverse not in bears vocabulary

pacwest said...

That was cool! The little guy must have been pooped after that.

Birkel said...

James K,
He was off stealing Pic-a-Nic baskets.

Unknown said...

Ann beat me to it: the drone being used to film this episode influenced the behavior of the adult bear. By swiping with its rather scary claws, it was trying to tell the drone "beware, keep threatening my cub and I'll bite your face."

Wince said...

Althouse said...
I think she spots the drone (the camera) and feels it's a threat.

Plus shortly before @:39 the shadow of a large bird of prey passed over.

Not sure they typically attack bear cubs, but the swooping drone probably looked like an attack.

Robert J. said...

Those aren't drone shadows, they are raptor shadows.

Wince said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Original Mike said...

I think Child Services needs to get involved.

Saint Croix said...

If you like Disney cartoons.

Jean-Jacques Annaud is not a Disney filmmaker. Did you not notice the bear sex, the bear violence, and the bear mushroom scene?

"Over one-third of all brown bear cubs will die during the mating season.

So?

And over 90 percent of those fatalities will be at the claws and maws of unrelated males.

So?

I can't believe you're making me do math on the bear thread. Where is it written that a movie about a bear cub has to reflect the 33% of bear cubs who die during mating season? What about the 66% of bear cubs who don't die?

You imply that male bears are incapable of adoption? Based on that?

Saint Croix said...

Next you'll be telling me no men are pro-lifers!

Saint Croix said...

You're like the Catharine MacKinnon of National Geographic!

Saint Croix said...

I have had it up to here with anti-male bear bigotry.

Saint Croix said...

And nobody tell Katie Paulson about that damn mama bear.

Mother Decides to Climb a Sheet of Ice and Almost Kills Her Baby

Original Mike said...

I assume Mom was trying to grab the little one. Clumsy and dumb, but she is a bear, afterall.

RK said...

Everything has a learning curve.

Two-eyed Jack said...

You all realize of course, that when he gets there, all that he can see will be the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, will be all that he can see.

Saint Croix said...

And--I'm just getting started--Bart the Bear is a real bear. Not a cartoon! Real bear!

Next you'll be telling me that Bart the bear mauled the shit out of Youk the little cub in real life, and they had to replace him with CGI after Bart ate him. And that did not happen. I am pretty sure. Because the ASPCA would have been all over that.

So let's not have any more slander about Bart the Bear on the Althouse message boards. Good bear! Not a cartoon! Nurture and nature! So there!

Saint Croix said...

Maybe his bear oxytocin levels were rocking. What do you know? Did you do a study? And so on and so forth.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Mama Bear provides very little help to Baby Bear. She positions herself above the steepest part of the slope, instead of where she herself climbed. Then, for whatever reason, Mama Bear causes a snow slide that carries Baby Bear down the slope. When Baby Bear is finally about to reach the top, Mama Bear turns and trots off, forcing Baby Bear to trot after her without even stopping to catch its breath.

Saint Croix said...

Also Annaud did Name of the Rose, which is a great movie, particularly if you're too lazy to read the book.

Dave Begley said...

I blame global warming.

Saint Croix said...

Next time I watch The Bear, I'm going to be like this: "Oh shit, it's mating season! There's a 33% chance that little cub is going to die!" And it will be so exciting.

SDaly said...

Mama Bear's behavior is perfect for teaching a bear cub how to survive in a cruel world. We could learn a lot from the Mama Bear.

Mike Sylwester said...

This reminds me about how I walked to school when I was a child.

Krumhorn said...

I was sort of expecting a high five or, at least, a bear hug. But what I saw looked oso like a walkaway shrug.

- Krumhorn

pacwest said...

"This reminds me about how I walked to school when I was a child."

Me too. Uphill both ways.

AllenS said...

Mama bear probably has one of those pussy hats. Cub is a male. If the Cub lives, he'll vote for Trump.

Andrew said...

The best bear movie was The Revenant.

Trumpit said...

I love bears, raccoons, etc. I would incarcerate hunters on Guantanamo, and feed them guano, which is bird shit.

jimbino said...

No, I think guano is bat shit.

wildswan said...

I was exhausted after Baby Bear finished the climb and surprised to see him able to move, let alone run after Momma Bear. But a great climb - and without ropes. I guess claws work a bit like pitons.

CWJ said...

"...and feed them guano, which is bird shit."

Really, I had no idea.

FullMoon said...

"...and feed them guano, which is bird shit."

Organic, right?

fivewheels said...

Possibly relevant. It's what it made me think of, anyway.

mockturtle said...

Thank you for posting this heart-rending but happy-ending video. The Mom was cleverly guiding her cub to the fresh, less slippery, snow. Animals are so much more fun to watch than people, aren't they?

mockturtle said...

I assume Mom was trying to grab the little one. Clumsy and dumb, but she is a bear, afterall.

That was my take, as well.

Narayanan said...

Bear Mom is Russian.
Tiger Mom is Chinese.

stevew said...

Q: What sort of momma bear takes her beloved cub up an arduous and dangerous snow covered, near-cliff face?

A: A papa bear, of course.

rcocean said...

Mama Bear creates problems but she doesn't solve them.

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Bill, Republic of Texas said...

Stop assuming the bears' genders!!1!!

Maybe "mamma" bear identifies as a "papa."

You people are such deplorables.Left Bank really disappointed me. I never knew they were such bigots.

gilbar said...

Robt C said...
I don't get why Mom brushed that snow the first time the little thing almost made it to the top, causing it to slide aaaaalllll the way back down

I'm with Original Mike (i think), and others; who think that she was trying to swipe him up; which failed: miserably. Then, after that she tried not to mess with him (including running away from the edge; calling out at him: "Run with mama baby! once we're off of this, it will be all hugs and kisses XXXOOOXXX" That what I saw*, anyway

What i saw* okay, i have a Very Vivid imagination

Jeff said...

I couldn't bear to watch it.

topreplica.nl said...

Great, That warmed our hearts.

Ralph L said...

The cub likely died after using so much energy.

Just thought I'd end this thread on a high note.

Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...

i get it now-- the bear = Russia.
Russian Collusion. How they helped Trump rig the election.

Damn now I wanna hit some racist Nazi with a bicycle lock.

Josephbleau said...

Mama says, get off your ass, no one is going to climb the hill for you.

Bad Lieutenant said...


jimbino said...
No, I think guano is bat shit.

11/5/18, 5:17 PM

Ian Fleming called, Jimmy, he says Dr No says F U. His guano island was not stocked by bats. I forget whether it was cormorants, boobies or what, but definitely birds.

However, I have heard of bat guano, so perhaps it refers to the droppings of any flying creatures.

mockturtle said...

Teaching children survival skills rather than coddling them. Good idea.

Jim K said...

From the Atlantic -
The Problem Behind a Viral Video of a Persistent Baby Bear. What appears to be a life-affirming triumph is really a cautionary tale about drones and wildlife.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/11/problematic-viral-video-persistent-baby-bear/574990/