Adorable baby bears refuse to be left behind as their mother goes for a swim

Cute


Adorable baby bears refuse to be left behind as their mother goes for a swim

By Victoria Gray

11 years ago

For many people, September means settling back into the school run routine, but for these baby bears, things are a lot different from strapping into the car and making sure they've got their lunchbox.

These adorable pictures show three young grizzly bears grabbing onto their mother's back as she takes a swim in a lake.

The grizzly bear cubs were so keen not to be left behind that they jumped onto their mother's back

Just a few months old, they were desperate not to be left alone and clambered onto Mother Bear's back as she swam out. But as the cubs can't yet swim themselves, they remained on her back to keep dry.

The photos were taken by Norwegian dermatologist Jon Langeland who was visiting Katmai National Park in Alaska, USA, where the bears live, and saw their interactions over two days.

He explained: "These spring cubs - just a few months old - are totally dependent on their mother [and] still live mainly on milk from her."

"The first day the mother went into the water and left them on the shore was amusing - the little ones disliked that a lot. She didn't dare do that again."

The mother bear appears to be comforting her cubs that she won't leave them

Just a few months old, the cubs are entirely dependent on their mother

Jon continued: "These cubs melted our hearts and it was touching to see how the mother always looked over her shoulder to be sure they were ok."

The photos are a touching reminder of the natural instincts such as children not wanting to be separated from their mothers, that ring as truly in the animal kingdom as they do in the human world.

Images: Jon Langeland / Solent News / Rex Features, Words: Victoria Gray

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