Thieving Bear Gets Caught In The Act

If you think your forearms are strong you have nothing on this bear as she just casually hangs off a guy’s back deck. She is doing it so that she can steal bird seed from a bird feeder that, and we’re guessing here, is hanging at least four feet out from the edge of the deck. The video that was submitted to us is only a minute long. So, we don’t know how long that bear was just hanging around. What is amazing considering her strength is just how casually she is hanging there.

Maybe I am out of shape but I don’t think I could just casually hang around for a full minute or more the way this bear is doing it. Bears, especially black bears, are some of the greatest climbers in the world. Possibly only beat by certain species of alpine goats. The number one, and most obvious, reason that bears climb is due to hunger. Like the bear in this video, bears will use all the tools they have to get to food for themselves. It’s why we see a lot of videos of bears climbing up people’s decks in the woods to get at bird feeders.

However, there are a number of other reasons that bears enjoy climbing. Climbing can be a form of play for bears especially when they can play ambush one another. You see the playful aspect a bit more in cubs but adult bears will climb out of boredom from time to time. They also do it as a form of escape. They also do it occasionally to just to travel. Bears can climb sheer verticals better than some human climbers. It is pretty cool to watch.