Mother Bear Nests in a Tree so High that her Cubs Can’t Leave the Nest
These bears have taken a leaf out of a bird’s book and have made themselves a nest 65 feet up a tree.
The family of American Black Bears enjoy the views of the Glacier National Park in Montana, while protecting themselves from the local grizzly bears.
The den is so high up the mother had to have a quick break as she climbed the cottonwood tree before she was reunited with her cubs.
And the cubs could hardly contain their excitement as their mother approached them after climbing to the nest in the tall tree.
And the photographer, Sumio Harada, who lives just 30 minutes from the park, was delighted when he captured this unique moment.
The 52-year-old said: ‘When their mother finally came back to the den – the cubs were really excited – they wanted her milk.
I was very lucky to have captured this moment because it was my first trip to the den and I was delighted that they were out that day.’
There are a lot of grizzly bears that live nearby, but the high den protects them from an attack and the photographer was pleased that they came out.
He added: ‘They made the den because it protects them from other bears.
‘There are a lot of grizzly bears nearby, but they cannot climbs trees so the den is very safe for this family of bears.
‘I only saw the mum leave the den. The two cubs wanted to follow her but the tree trunk was too thick for them – they couldn’t get down from their nest.
‘The cottonwood tree is perfect for their den because it is really tall and hollow so they can easily transform it into a nest.’
At the moment, the den is the perfect size for the family of three, but if they get any bigger it could be a bit of a squeeze.
Mr Harada, who spent five days taking the photos, continued: ‘The den can accommodate the mother and her two cubs.
‘If the cubs were more than a year old three bears would be too tight.
‘The mum and cubs were very cute – it was a heart warming scene – it made me realise that American Black Bears are very good climbers.’