Man Saved Her Cubs, Then Mama Bears Does the Most Surprising Thing

16. Did It Work?

At first, it seemed like the plan would work, however, the bear was still a little too far from the boat landing to be able to pull his whole body up. The crew was worried that the large net might just scare the bear, even more.

Despite the fishermen’s concerns about putting themselves at risk by physically pulling the bear up, they couldn’t just sit back and watch. It was a matter of life and death, and they decided that they had no choice but to intervene.

17. Trust and Trust Some More

If the fishermen reached too far over the edge they risked being pulled down by the bear, falling into the freezing water, or worse – being attacked and maimed. Of course, they couldn’t forget about the giant mama bear, watching from the sidelines.

So, what could they do? They decided to throw caution to the wind and put their trust in the bear cubs, making the, perhaps rogue, decision to work with them to ensure that the rescue mission went smoothly. The fishermen prayed that no one would get hurt.

18. Pleading

A few days after the incident, many of the crew of the boat were quoted as saying that during the rescue, it was as if they had developed a deep, unspoken connection with the bear cub.

Something about locking gazes with the helpless bear created some form of connection between them and the vulnerable little bear. This is what compelled the fishermen to take the risk, reach down, and do all they could to save the bear cub.

19. A Bright Idea

And so another plan was put into action. Although it seems simple in retrospect, at the time, with high stakes and adrenaline pumping, it is understandable that they didn’t try this sooner.

They carefully used their fishing nets to try to scoop the bear out of the water – just like they would have done with regular fish, the trick was to ensure that the cub didn’t panic and stayed very still.

20. Will it Work?

The biggest concern about this plan was the fact that the fishing nets were not designed to hold heavy baby bears. Despite this, they were willing to risk breaking the net if it gave them a chance to save the cubs, so they continued on with their plan.

Tossing the net into the ocean, they started with the first cub. Using the same method as they would for catching fish, they tried to reel it in with their own hands. Time was running out and, all the while, the cub was getting more tired.