This video of a bear cub climbing a snowy slope is not the wonderful thing it is being hailed as
A lesson in determination or a case of technology disturbing wildlife?
We could all learn a lesson from this baby bear: Look up & don't give up. pic.twitter.com/nm0McSYeqY
— IM🍑HIM (@ziyatong) November 3, 2018
A video that at first glance seemed to tell an inspirational tale of perseverance has triggered a debate about using technology to study wildlife.
Drone footage of a baby bear’s multiple attempts to climb up a snow-packed mountain slope while its mother waits was shot back in June in Russia, but grabbed social media attention when it was posted on twitter recently.
While several people shared the video saying the bear’s effort to reach the top despite sliding down several times was inspiring, others said the animal was running away from the drone (also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs) that was filming it. Ice Age ecologist Jaquelyn Gill called for the video to be taken down as the drone operator was harassing and endangering the lives of the bears.
Please take this video down. The stone operator harassed and endangered the lives of those bears. The real lesson here is to give wildlife respect, and distance.
— Dr. Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) November 4, 2018
The user who originally posted the video, however, said it was not a drone but a bird of prey that the cub was trying to escape from. The debate continued with several others supporting Gill’s views.
Ziya, can you address the potential wildlife welfare issues here from the drone harassment? Glad to see a wildlife tweet go viral, but it seems important to get the right message out.
— Clayton T. Lamb (@ClaytonTLamb) November 5, 2018
-a concerned #grizzlybear expert
Not sure where this video was taken but it would seem to be a BC Wildlife Act offence if it was here. 27(3) herd or harass wildlife with an aircraft or mechanical device. @_BCCOS
— Rishi Maharaj (@9x19) November 5, 2018