bear

Get ready for some of the most paw-dorable pictures you've ever seen. Brian Matthews captured these amazing, rare and beautiful pictures near Churchill, northern Canada of polar bear cubs leaving their den with their momma for the very first time to play around in the snow. The pictures clearly capture the nerves the cubs feel of leaving their den for the first time, gazing adoringly at their mom and staying close to her while exploring this beautiful new world. 

As The Irish Sun reports, Matthews said: "It was very humbling to be able to see something that very, very few people get to see. The cubs were really interested in the world in general, they were investigating and playing in the snow, smelling trees, looking around and generally getting their bearings."

He continued: "They seemed quite confident running about and playing in the snow, as long as they weren't too far from their mother. You can see in the photos of them all lying together how big these tiny cubs are going to grow up to be. It was just absolutely amazing to see the cubs playing in front of us, only about 50 metres away, and not at all fazed or spooked that we were there. It's heartening to see the positive side of polar bear conservation work."

Only after they calmed down a bit did the mother bear go and have a big ol' nap, her kiddos continuing to play around in the snow next to her. We hope we will get to see many, many more pictures of animals loving their natural habitats, and that this was the pawfect, smile-inducing start to your morning that you were hoping for. 

February is coming to an end, and it's time to celebrate one of our favorite days ever - international polar bear day. Why do we love it so much? Well, because we love polar bears, of course. They are so cute, so fluffy, they are a vulnerable animal species whose population is decreasing, and polar bear day is the best day to bring some awareness to the struggles facing this animal. As well as look at super adorable pics of them. 

If any of you love polar bears as much as we do and want to help with the conservation effort of these huge teddy bears, consider going to Polar Bears International and learning about them as well as donating to help keep them safe and happy. Have a beary happy polar bear day, everyone! 

Well, well, another day on twitter, another adorable animal goes viral, and you would never expect it to be this one. A bear in a river. That's right. You hear that ad may not think anything of it, but my gosh, that bear is the cutest bear that we've ever seen (and that's despite the fact that all bears are totally adorable), and we are not even slightly surprised that the internet went crazy over it. 

It's so cute, it inspired endless artists to create adorable versions of the bear themselves, and we felt the need to give them all (and the bear) some love. So, enjoy this adorable fluffball in all of its versions, and have a pawtasitc weekend!

Two adorable bear cubs have been abandoned by their polar bear momma and are now being rescued by four new adoptive moms, and it's one of the cutest things we've seen. The cubs get pampered so much - getting manicures, massages, warm milk, and undivided attention. They are now seven weeks old and growing super fast, and we can't wait to see these cuties get even bigger. 

As dailymail reports, the cub's "seven-year-old mother, Seryozhka, from the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the Arctic, built a den for her new cubs at a safari park in Gelendzhik, but then rejected the crying pair." The keepers at the zoo attempted to coax the mother into giving milk to the babies and failed, but she "gave blood which was used to give serum to the babies, vital as an immunity boost."

Luckily, the mother didn't hurt the cubs, and keepers at the zoo were able to step in and take care of the little babies. Their new foster moms are a pair of 39-year-old twins, Anastasia and Olesya Sakhatskaya, 32-year-old Maria Moroz, and 31-year-old Yelena Milovidova.

"They don't seem to distinguish between the four of us," said Elena. "They know the scent of our skin and clothes, and sensing any of us getting close to them means just one thing: mother is here, and food is coming." Yelena Milovidova, deputy director of the Gelendzhik Safari Park, adds: "There were no previous cases of nurturing polar bear cubs rejected by their mother in a Russian zoo. This is the first experience for us."

The cubs who have only recently opened their eyes now weight over 4 kilograms and should start doubling in weight every few weeks. When they're three months old, they'll start going on walks outside. 

"In the world there were only five or so cases of polar bear cubs raised since birth in captivity," continues Milovidova. "I do hope that we will succeed." And we really, really hope so too. We wish these cuties all the luck in the world and want to thank their caretakers who are really giving them all the love.

Check out pictures and a video of the cubs below, and for more wholesome bear stories, read about a circus bear living in terrible conditions being rescued and moved to a sanctuary.

An injured and lost bear cub was rescued this week by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The female cub was wondering around for days in the Electra Lake area, getting into the bird feeders. The poor cub had cut injuries on her paws. And though there's no way of knowing exactly what happened to her, it is assumed that she is one of the survivors from the fires who got lost and couldn't find her way back to her family. Regardless, we are happy to hear that the cub is now in good hands, is being taken care of by capable people, and will be released back into the wild once she'll be healed. 

As reported by The Journal, Joe Lewandowski, a CPW spokesman, said in an email to The Durango Herald: "It had been getting into bird feeders in the area... It's not unusual for bears to go on walkabouts occasionally during the winter," Lewandowski added. "But they usually find a way back to their dens. This one didn't."

According to an official Facebook post, wildlife officials decided that the best course of action for the cub is to be taken into the Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where the "staff will further evaluate and treat its injuries. The young bear will spend the rest of its' hibernation at the facility and be released back into the wild in the spring."

We are so happy to hear that the sweet cub is getting the help that she needs and that she will be released back into the wild. We wish her a quick and easy recovery and thank everyone involved in helping her! For more feel-good bear stories, read about a circus bear who lived in terrible conditions getting rescued and moved to a sanctuary right here.

Jambolina the circus bear is getting a second chance in life after being forced to perform in a Ukrainian circus for over a decade. Only a few weeks old, and Jambolina's circus training had already started, and since then, she had been kept locked in a tiny cage most of her life. That is until last week, when Four Paws an international animal welfare organization took the the bear, transporting her 1,500 miles to her new home - the Arosa Bear Sanctuary in Switzerland. 

Read more about Jambolina below!

Incoming! The most dangerous animals in the world is about to attack you with its cuteness. Shield your eyes. The cuteness can be too much, and it is truly not for the faint hearted. Do not go on this adventure of cuteness if you are unprepared. And for those of you who are ready... we wish good luck. 

These fluffy marshmallows of cuteness will take over your heart in a second, and you will want nothing more than to hug them. So, prepare for this incoming attack by clutching your favorite teddy bear to your chest and taking a deep breath, and enjoy this fluffball wintery delight in the form of the cutest pictures of polar bears.

Us humans take months, sometimes over a year to take our first steps, while many animals only ever take a couple minutes. But some animal babies are capable of even more than that, like these tiny totally safe-to-cuddle bear cubs who have already perfected the art of climbing trees at their tini-tiny age. 

It's an experience every tiny bear cub will go through at some point in their lives, and not only is it insanely impressive, it is also incredibly cute. So, take a look at these pawdoable bear cubs taking their first steps (up a tree) with their mommies there to help and protect them and enjoy your heart melting of cute. 

There's a reason that people love bears as much as they do. The myth of the cuddly bear runs strong in our society. I mean, look at them. How can these huge bear-hugging animals be in any way dangerous? They were obviously designed for hugs. Cleary. How can you even argue with that? 

They're the cutest, the sweetest, and they're infinitely polite. Look at them waving! Just look at them, we dare your heart not to melt. It's impossible. It's a total dream to have a bear wave at us (and also give us a hug, but we'll settle for a wave for now). The cuteness is simply overwhelming. 

It's National Hug A Bear Day! And we here at Cheezburger are celebrating! Now, it's important to remember that you should actually go out and hug a bear. That is a bit dangerous at the end of the day, no matter how cute and cuddly bears may appear. 

No, National Hug A Bear Day is actually a day that refers to teddy bears and is meant to celebrate hugging! Yeah, you heard right. On this day, you aren't supposed to go out and hug actual bears. The way to celebrate National Hug A Bear day is by hugging your teddy bear, or by hugging your friend's teddy bear, or giving a big ol' 'bear hug' to one of your friends or family members. 

That doesn't mean that actual bears shouldn't be celebrated, of course, since bears are unbearably awesome. So, since we can't come give y'all bear hugs right now, as a compromise, we've decided to give you an adorable collection of some of the most teddy bear-like looking bear cubs instead.

To bring a little extra laughs to an un-bear-ably difficult week, we decided that pawing through twitter and finding you some funny bear tweets is the best way to do it. There's something about scary and dangerous animals doing funny and cute things that makes them extra hilarious. You just don't expect to see pictures of a bear in a hot tub. 

These funny bear tweets are basically guaranteed to put a big ol' smile on your face and make your day more bearable. If they're not enough, you can always take a look at these un-bear-ably funny bear memes. And for an ultimately good time, we hope you get the best bear hug from the person you most want it from this week.

Some animals may be masters at playing hide and seek, but not these ones. Nope. These cuties, fierce as they may be, truly suck at the art of stealth. They're trying their best though, and we love them for it. 

Even the cats, animals who, in nature, are some of the stealthiest, most gasp-inducing creatures of all, have really failed in these pics. Then again, they may think they're fierce, but we know that our tiny widdle kitty babies are the clumsiest, funniest, most adorable animals of all, so of course they suck at hiding. 

All of these animals are the best at making a smile find its way onto your face, so enjoy these silly but adorable animals and have an amazing weekend!

Ah pandas... if we had to pick one wild animal to cuddle, they might just be it. And listen, we know they can be dangerous, but they're just so adorable, of course we would want to cuddle them. We're the same people who'd want to cuddle lions though, so maybe we're not the most objective judges. 

Pandas are just so fluffy, they seem so sweet, they're unfortunately still at risk, and they're also huge messes in pictures which makes them extremely memeable. We've decided to show some love to this cuddly, clumsy, and absolutely adorable big bear by giving you the most pandabulous memes today. We also wish you a wonderful weekend with many, many enormous feel-good bear hugs.

Every week, we bring you a new collection of animal pictures that are simply too incredible to describe in anything less than 1000 words. Some pictures are just like that, the stories behind them are too vast and complex. And many times, even though we may not know the story, it takes all but one glimpse to know that it's there. Something must have led to this special moment in time being caught, either something hilarious, adorable, or shocking. 

So, look at these incredible photos and let your imagination take over. Who knows? Maybe you'll see one that will inspire you and have you wanting to make something incredible of your own.

Yesterday, Matthew Bete was taking a nap by his pool when, out of nowhere, a black bear walked onto his property through a gate. The bear immediately heads for Matthew's pool, taking a long, long drink from it. He then turns around, spots Matthew, and quietly walks over to him, sniffing his foot and gently reaching out to touch it. Matthew, stirred by the touch, wakes up startled and scares the bear off. And what else does he do immediately after? Take his phone out to film it of course. Check out photos of the incident bellow!