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​The Truth Behind Viral Footage Of Bear Cub Falling Down Mountain

​The Truth Behind Viral Footage Of Bear Cub Falling Down Mountain

What part might the drone have played in the cub's fall?

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

You may have seen the video of a bear cub scrambling up a snowy mountainside to reach its mother at the top. It's a tough watch, as the poor cub keeps nearing the top only to go tumbling down to the bottom several times, but it's also a glorious metaphor for us all, teaching us not to give up in the face of adversity - hitting the point home when the two bears are eventually reunited.

However, as with all viral content, there's more to the story. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, it ain't great.

Have you thought about how the footage was filmed? It was, of course, captured by a drone - which we all twigged because drones are just about everywhere these days.

Well, according to wildlife ecologist Mark Ditmer, that's exactly where the problem lies, as apparently it was likely the drone itself (at around 1:5) that prompted the mama bear to lash out - either at the drone or in an attempt to grab her cub - causing the youngster to fall once again.

The clip was shot with a drone on the coast of Russia's Sea of Okhotsk by Dmitry Kedrov, who told a Russian website the zoom effect was created in post-production and therefore his drone wouldn't have scared the bears.

However, wildlife experts haven't been quite so sold on Kedrov's claims.

Speaking to National Geographic, Mark Ditmer, a wildlife ecologist at Boise State University, reckons the bear was, indeed, swatting at the drone.

"It could be a zoom on the video camera, but most consumer drones don't have the payload capacity to carry a camera with a high quality zoom lens," he said.

Ditmer, who has studied the physiological impact drones have on black bears, added: "I could be wrong, but I would have to guess this is the drone approaching rapidly and the mother panicking and swatting out of fear."

What part did the drone play in the bear cub's fall?
PA

Sophie Gilbert, a wildlife ecologist at the University of Idaho, also agrees.

"You look at the mother bear in that video and she's staring straight at the drone for chunks of time," she said.

"From her perspective it's literally a UFO. It's an unidentified flying object."

Gilbert added: "She has no idea what it's doing. She's probably never seen anything like it in her life. She's got a very young cub with her, and of course her response is going to be fear."

It's not just the experts who reckon the drone may have played a part in the bear's tricky situation.

Commenting on the video when it was posted to LADbible, one social media user wrote: "Look at 1:20 it's the camera man's fault! This is bull s**t this guy is flying is stupid drone around and it's scaring the shit out of the bears. That probably why the cub fell."

Another said: "Filming with drones so close it's obvious stressful for animals. Showing respect by keeping distance and not representing a threat must be always taken in consideration. They have enough difficulties because of humans."

A third commented: "I feel like this was totally the drone's fault, the cub was almost there and then the mum went for the drone and the poor baby slipped."

It does make you think: it may be stunning, incredible footage, but at what cost does it come?

Featured Image Credit: Viral Hog

Topics: Viral, News, Animals