Lake Vygozero
Before we tell this story, we need to provide some information on the location of the incident. The lake the mother bear and her two cubs tried to cross is Lake Vygozero. This is an enormous freshwater lake in the north of Russia, where it gets really, really cold during winter. It would be impossible for human beings to survive being in this ice cold water, even if it was just for a few moments. Keep that in mind when you read the rest of this touching story. It soon becomes clear that the lake isn’t just too cold for people, but also for animals.
Being independent
In the wild, it’s all about surviving. For these bear cubs, this was made clear at a very young age, because they trusted their mother blindly and followed her into the ice-cold lake. They didn’t have a choice, because without a mother they would be helpless and vulnerable. Unfortunately, the mother bear was a little too optimistic and brought her cubs into mortal danger. The lake she wanted to cross was too big. This led to a heartwrenching decision.