Bears are one of the more remarkable inhabitants of the forest. These intelligent and adaptable omnivores have diet that is essentially seasonal. They eat plant shoots in the spring, fruit and berries in the summer, and then in the fall they gorge themselves on hazelnuts and acorns. That autumn gorging is in preparation for the winter. Since there isn’t much food to be had that time of year, bears simply sleep through the entire season! There are other treats they’ll grab when they can, insects and fish, for example. And yes, bears really do love honey. They’ll tear right into a beehive and scoop it out and they’re so obsessed with this prize they don’t mind being repeatedly stung. Bears are excellent swimmers and their chubbiness notwithstanding, very good at climbing.
In the video we’ve posted below, you’ll see a cinnamon bear rescued from a dangerous fix it got itself into. It’s always nice to see a bear-human encounter that has a happy ending.
The unlucky bear managed to get trapped in a powerful eddy on Idaho’s Salmon River. Water can overwhelm even the strongest swimmer. Fortunately for the bear, a tour boat was nearby. The captain obviously knew the river and his boat because he pulled a clever maneuver that helped push the bear toward the riverbank. Liz Comer, who shot the video, described the situation: “He was stuck in an eddy, or reverse current of water, too tired to get himself to shore. The river was flowing between ten to fifteen feet deeper than usual and incredibly powerful. The captain that was escorting the family up river directed his boat engines to help propel the bear out of the spinning currents and assisted him to shore. We thought he was a dog when we came up on him. He kept getting sucked under water. We thought he was a goner for sure because that river was no joke! I’ve never seen it this high!”
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