A video showing a baby bear’s epic struggle to climb a snowy mountain to keep up with this mother has captivated viewers around the world.
The clip, filmed by a Russian man, was shared millions of times on social media after it was posted online by a member of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
It shows a mother bear who made it to the peak of a mountain in the Magadan region on June 19 – but has to wait for her cub as it struggles to make its way up.
The cub is seen coming agonisingly close to reaching the top, but suddenly loses its grip and plummets back down in a matter of seconds.
And although some viewers watched with bated breath to see if the cub would eventually reach the peak, others criticised the footage.
They claim the bears had been attempting to get away from the drone filming them – and the problem wouldn’t have occurred if it hadn’t been there.
Eventually the cub manages to gain some traction in the steps left by its mother’s ascent through the snow
As they traverse the snowy face, the cub loses its footing and slips down, trying to cling on with his small paws.
He seems to manage to gain some traction only to plunge down further, but he seems more energetic than ever as he climbs back up.
Eventually the cub manages to find better footing on the track already cut by his mother and gets to the top.
The mother bear looks down as the drone has zoomed out to show the massive scale of the mountain compared to the little bear
As they traverse across the icy face the cub loses his footing and slips down the sheer face while its mother watches on
‘I was stressed watching this,’ wrote one person on Twitter.
Another added: ‘I couldn’t take it .. I had to fast forward just to make sure he made it.’
Another joked: ‘This is almost giving me lion king flashbacks.’
Others commented that the bear’s struggle was motivational.
‘We could all learn a lesson from this baby bear: Look up & don’t give up.’
Others commented on the mother bear’s parenting skills, with some commending her – and others suggesting they may be why she only has one cub.
‘Parents could learn a lesson from mama bear: Sometimes you’ve got to let kids figure it out on their own even if they slip and struggle a little,’ wrote one Twitter user.
Ziya Tong, a member of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society originally posted the video with a lighthearted caption, ‘Look up and don’t give up’
As the video went viral today, Tong answered concerns and provided links to advice on filming wildlife with drones as some feel the bears were terrified and were making off in haste
The video was originally shared on YouTube before being picked up by Ziya Tong who is a member of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
The TV presenter highlighted that the video she had shared should also be an example of poor drone usage and tweeted guidance for any amateur wildlife drone operators to follow.
The two bears begin their perilous walk from the rocky face to head up to the peak of the mountain
After a few attempts and a lot of determination the cub manages to make it up and is reunited with its mother