Need a leg-up son? Mother brown bear teaches cubs how to climb

By Ted Thornhill


Claws for thought: The bear cub makes a valiant attempt at scaling the tree, but mum sees that he's going to need some help


Climbing trees is a bear necessity for these animals – and here mum is teaching her cubs how it should be done.

The Kamchatka Brown Bears’ adventurous manoeuvres took place at Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg and begin with mum physically pushing one of her offspring up the trunk.

She then decides to show them how it’s done and makes an attempt to reach the top herself.


The lesson came about after the creatures tried to snare a crow that fluttered into their enclosure. Reports suggest the bird escaped safe and sound.

The Kamchatka Bear is also known as the Far Eastern Brown Bear and is a subspecies of brown bear.

They can grow to enormous sizes, sometimes reaching three metres in height and weighing up to 650kg.

Up, up and away? Mummy decides to give the little 'un a push as the group track down a crow that's perched higher up


The only bears larger are Kodiak bears and Polar bears, the latter being the largest land predator on Earth.

Crows wouldn’t normally form part of the Kamchatka’s diet. They live in the far east of Russia and survive on salmon, nuts and blueberries.

Hamburg Zoo, meanwhile, is home to 1,850 animals. The bears’ neighbours there include giraffes, elephants, tigers, giant otters and orangutans.

Masterclass: Mum's the word as she shows the kids how it should be done


source:dailymail