Bear Without Front Paws Caught Walking Like Humans

The animal, which was born without its front legs, was spotted in the mountains of Virginia in the United States.

A black bear, born without its front paws, was spotted in the mountains of West Virginia, in the United States. Because it was born without its front paws, the quadruped animal ended up becoming a biped, like humans. Although it's not unheard of, it's not common.

 

“The area he's in has some of the steepest terrain in the Appalachians [North American mountain range]. He has no problem getting around,” hunter and writer Kirk Price, who captured the images, wrote on Instagram.

In 2022, the hunter had already published a video on his YouTube channel explaining that he knew the bear was in the area and had been looking at photos of it since 2018. He also indicated that there were no signs that the animal was undernourished and said that he saw it climbing a steep slope with just its two hind legs, without showing any discomfort.

According to Kirk Price's estimates, based on the bear's sightings and characteristics, the animal must be around eight years old. The cubs of this species stay with their mothers for the first two years and, in 2018, when he saw photos of it for the first time, the animal wasn't particularly large.

The hunter explained to USA Today that the bear must not have lost its front paws in traps because it had “clean protuberances” in the forearm area. This would not have been the case if the animal had been the victim of a trap.

In addition, the bear has never been seen with its front paws, not even when it was young. If it had lost both paws in traps, this would also have had to have happened to both paws at the same time or right after each other, in a very short period of time, and the animal would have had to have survived the injury and infection that followed.

Bear traps are not currently used by hunters. They are illegal and abhorred by most people who hunt.

“I firmly believe that he was born this way and overcame all adversity. That's what you should focus on. This bear is truly incredible,” said the hunter.