Can Bears Climb Trees? This Lovely Video Debunks The Common Myth

One of the most common wildlife myths is that bears can’t climb trees so whenever one sees a bear, they should rush to the nearest tree and climb it as fast as they can. However, this advice might make the situation worse by triggering the bear to attack. Contrary to popular belief, bears are agile climbers, especially when it comes to Indian black bears. Recently, IFS officer Parveen Kaswan shared a video that showed a mother bear expertly climbing down a tree with her cub. After climbing down, the baby bear once again climbs the tree before running after the mother bear.

While sharing this clip, Kaswan wrote, “You all must have heard the story of how a friend saved his life from Bear by climbing a tree. Here is a Himalayan Black Bear mother and cub showing how our childhood was a lie !! Captured this yesterday.” This video got over 34,000 views within a few hours. It is interesting to note that other than climbing trees, the black bears are also skilled at arboreal combat. Black bears often fight each other in trees. The bear at the bottom gets the advantage as it’s easier to hit upwards than downwards.

Commenting on the above-mentioned video, an X user wrote, “Great, very interesting. In our childhood we used to climb almost all trees in our area. Mainly mangoes, Jackfruit, Citrus, Tamarind and wild jackfruit. It’s enjoyable to jump from a tree to the river waters.”

Another person wrote, “Unless it is “Ballu” from Jungle book, all bears can climb up easily…Sometimes they fetch Honeycomb at the very top of large trees. Let the bed time story be as it is.”

An X user challenged Kaswan’s claim and wrote, “How is it a lie? Have you sir seen any story, any proof that any bear killed any person by riding the tree? There are several contradictory examples in the animal kingdom. Nothing is permanent.”

According to the USA’s National Park Service, the best way to escape a bear attack is to stay calm and keep speaking in a calm voice so that the bear can identify that you are a human and not a prey or predator. Instead of running away stand your ground and slowly wave your arms. A scream or sudden movement can provoke an attack. Most bears do not want to fight humans but some are curious which is why they can come close and stand on their hind legs to see and smell better.