Hey, we've all been there: sometimes you take on a bit more than you can handle. This adorable clip was captured by tourists in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve. Just like human babies, bear cubs often mimic the behaviours of their mothers – it's how they learn important survival skills like hunting, or in this case, defending their territories. 


 

"The bond between mother bears and cubs is very strong," park staff explain. "They eat what mom eats, investigate what mom investigates, and may copy her actions around other bears."

The video shows an encounter between "273" and her spring, and an encroaching female. You can see how protective mom gets when the cub get too close to the action. It's imporant to note that the onlookers are standing on an elevated viewing platform, and you should never approach a wild bear. Responsible human-wildlife interactions are something Katmai rangers take very seriously. 

"The mere presence of people certainly impacts the movement and behaviour of bears," they say. "However, the platforms allow the bears to encounter people only under predictable circumstances."

This past summer, officials conducted several overnight monitoring sessions near the platform. They found that the less habituated bears took advantage of the night-time closure to move through the area. "As visitors in their home, park staff and tourists must respect all types of bears, habituated and non-habituated alike," writes ranger Tori Anderson.

"When people occupy the wildlife viewing platform, certain bears avoid the area or use the falls differently. Because of these monitoring efforts, we know that night-time closures [are working], and allow bears that are not tolerant of people greater access to the falls." 

Want more bear action? Check out the park's live cams!

Top header image: Eric Gorski/Flickr