Watch tiny cubs hitch ride on mom’s back as she crosses MA reservoir. ‘How sweet’
A momma bear’s tiny cubs hitched a ride on her back as she swam across a Massachusetts reservoir to an island, video shows.
An angler who spotted the bear family took videos and shared them to Facebook on June 25.
“What an incredible day,” Izzy Drost wrote in the post, adding that it’s one of the best wildlife videos he’s ever captured. “My buddy took me out on the Quabbin for some fishing, and all of a sudden we see a Momma Bear Swimming across the Quabbin to an island with her 2 tiny baby cubs on her back. What an amazing sight to see.”
The videos show the cubs perched on her back as she powers through the water, making it look effortless. At one point, all three bears appear to glance back toward the boat.
“A momma bear with two cubs swimmin’ on the Quabbin,” Drost says in one of the videos. “What a sight to see.”
The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife also shared the videos to Facebook on June 30.
“This heat has everyone looking to cool off, even this mama bear and her cubs!” the agency said in the post. “Black bears can often be seen swimming to cool off during hot summer months in both backyard swimming pools and natural bodies of water. Bears may also swim to travel or avoid perceived threats.”
Black bears are common in the areas around the reservoir in western and central Massachusetts, the agency said.
“Seeing a bear with cubs in the wild is a special sighting and the public should remember that bears should always be appreciated from a distance for the safety of both bears and people,” the agency said. “This video shows a great example of staying a respectful distance away and using the zoom on your camera to get a better look.”
“Bless that momma,” someone said in the comments.
“This is absolutely my most favorite video,” someone else said. “How sweet!”
The Quabbin Reservoir is about a 100-mile drive west from Boston.
This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Watch tiny cubs hitch ride on mom’s back as she crosses MA reservoir. ‘How sweet’."
