Firefighters in California have captured the moment a mama bear rescued her three cubs, swimming back and forth across the water to carry them one by one.
A video shared on social media shows the adult female moving toward a young creature which is waiting by a dock.
It is then able to mount her back and shake off its drenched head in preparation for the ride across the water.
South Lake Tahoe Fire Fighters Association shared the story of a mother bear and her three cubs that came out into the community a week ago
Witness Betsy Sommerfeldt shared a picture of the moment the cub was falling into the water
The sweet footage was shared on the South Lake Tahoe Fire Fighters Association Facebook page last week.
‘With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, we feel like sharing a story of a mother bear and her three cubs that have come out into the community today and ended up in the keys marina,’ the group admin captioned the clip.
Witness Betsy Sommerfeldt shared a picture of the moment the cub was falling into the water.
‘The mother bear was determined to save all three of her cubs herself and ensure that they see tomorrow by continually swimming each one to safety!’ the firefighters association explained.
The video shows fire crew standing on a platform above where the cub was stuck.
‘Firefighters were called to the scene for a separated cub that the mother was able to coax into the water and swim it to safety,’ the caption explained.
Left, the cub is seen waiting for its mother. Right, The cub gets ready to climb onto her back
They said the animals ended up in the keys marina and the mother bear was determined to save all three of her cubs herself. The pair are seen swimming back across away from the crowd
During the rescue a crowd can be heard cheering nearby. Some voices behind the camera make comments of encouragement.
‘There you go,’ one person is heard saying as the adult scoops up her cub.
‘Hang on little guy,’ she adds as the mother reaches the other side and heads off into the brush.
The post got thousands of reactions from viewers commenting on the display of love and care.
Grizzly bears are great swimmers thanks to their high fat body mass and oily coat that helps them stay afloat.
But little ones usually start to swim when they’ve reached 30 pounds in weight.
The sweet video shows the adult carry the last one across before they head off into the brush