It’s no secret that black bears are excellent climbers. Their powerful bodies and sharp claws allow them to scale all manner of trees in their never-ending quest for dinner.
But an ambitious bear tempted fate earlier this month by climbing up a power transmission tower while being dive-bombed by anxious ravens. His prize? The nutritious and protein-packed eggs in their nest.
The event was spotted in Wood Buffalo National Park in the Northwest Territories, and captured on video by Linda Powell, from Greensboro, North Carolina.
In Linda’s words: “We were in a clearcut, where there were actually power lines and towers, and I had noticed earlier there were nests at the top of them … I was sitting there and glanced over and happened to see a black bear on its hind legs at the base of the tower, and the first thought that went through my mind was: that bear’s gonna climb the tower, but I didn’t really think that it would.”
The bear apparently had no trouble climbing up, but found it a bit of a challenge to get down.
As for the ravens, despite their best efforts to protect their eggs, they were unsuccessful. The notoriously intelligent birds sat near the nest, and to Linda it seemed “almost like they were in mourning.”
