Viral video of bear cub struggling to climb to the top of snowy mountain warms people's hearts

Social media is blowing up with this video of a bear cub struggling to climb a snowy mountain after its parent. Scroll down to watch.

The epic struggle of a baby bear trying to catch up with its mama on a steep snowy mountain has gone viral, and it’s not the act so much as the virtue it portrays that has captivated the hearts of many across the internet.

The cub, seen trailing after its huge parent, tries to get a grip on the steep slope. It loses balance several times but refuses to give up. The mama bear reaches the top and appears to be rooting for the little fighter still clawing its way up.

Near the top, the cub slips all the way back down, and when it seems all hope was lost, pulls itself up with renewed determination.

Finally, the persistent little one makes it up the mountain to meet mama bear. The two then bound off together on the top.

According to the New York Post, the clip was first posted by Ziya Tong, a TV personality and fellow with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Alongside the video, Tong wrote:

“We could all learn a lesson from this baby bear: Look up & don’t give up.”

NBC Nightly News also shared the adorable clip on Twitter yesterday, and so far, it has attracted over 24,000 views.

Daily Mail reported that the scene was shot in the Magadan region of Russia on June 19.

ANOTHER ANGLE TO THE STORY

While many viewers are gushing and cooing over the cute bears and the life lesson they seemingly portray, others are seeing something different, and it’s not pretty.

As IFLScience reported, some researchers and drone operators have raised concern that the drone used to capture the footage appears to be dangerously close to the wildlife.

EXPERT OPINION

Dr. Jacquelyn Gill, a Paleoecology expert and assistant professor of climate science at the University of Maine, had a few things to say about the incident.

Paleoecology is a branch of ecology that is concerned with the characteristics of ancient environments and with their relationships to ancient plants and animals.

Gill tweeted:

“Harassing wildlife for a photograph, a selfie, or a video is never okay. Respect animals by giving them space, and don’t share posts where animals are clearly in distress or in danger just because someone wanted to go viral.”

Clayton Lamb, a grizzly bear researcher, also said:

“I think the drone definitely put these animals at risk. I think that cub could have been severely injured, or potentially killed if it went off that cliff.”

ANIMAL AT RISK

Earlier this year, the video of a rat supposedly taking a shower also went viral, and many folks thought at first that it was a cute, harmless sight.

It was later discovered, however, that the creature was, in fact, a pacarana, a native rodent of South America. It was also not taking a bath but was trying to get an irritant- in this case, the soap- off its body.