In a heartwarming tale from the depths of the Russian wilderness, two fishermen have become unlikely heroes after spotting something dark in the lake they were fishing on. It took a moment for the pair to recognize the unfamiliar shape swimming toward them as what it really was.

Bear cubs. The men were clearly unsure of their next steps. Bears, even if they are cubs, can’t be picked up and hauled into the boat. So the two men did the next best thing – they grabbed their fishing net and began trying to scoop the struggling cubs out of the water.

The fisherman work to get one of the bear cubs out of the lake.

The remarkable footage captured on Lake Vygozero in northern Russia shows the two men wrestling to help what normally would be animals they would stay far away from. The bears, who had been swimming across the lake with their mother, found themselves in unsafe waters. Their mother, unaware of her cubs’ struggle, had exhaustedly made her way to a nearby island.

As the cubs began to sink, the panicked pair began to try and climb aboard the nearby boat that held the fishermen. Describing the daring rescue, Ruslan Lukanin, from Moscow, said, “It was dangerous, of course. But they are living creatures.” The fishermen, faced with the daunting task of rescuing wild animals that could potentially harm them, refused to ignore the vulnerable cubs.

We couldn’t just look the other way.”

The fishermen’s dialogue with the cubs during the rescue paints a picture of compassion and determination. “Take a rest, little one, take a rest. Hold on, hold on,” one of the men can be heard saying, while the other reassures, “No, he won’t [bite], he’s just clinging on for his life.” The fishermen then put a net under the cub to help it use its paws to climb aboard the boat.

The fisherman helps the exhausted bear cub get out of the water.

The men finally managed to pull the second bear cub out of the lake, and get the animals settled in their boat, both clearly exhausted after their ordeal in the water. With careful maneuvering and encouragement, the fishermen managed to lift the exhausted cubs onto their boat, using a net to support them.

“Don’t be afraid, just don’t be afraid. We’ll rescue you, don’t be afraid,” they reassured the frightened cubs. Once safely on board, the bears were transported to one of the many islands on the lake, where their mother had swum off, after managing to escape the waters. ‘They were too weak to walk by themselves,’ said one of the fishermen.

They helped the two cubs make it near the trees so their mother would be able to find them later. What heroics from two fishermen who, instead of looking away when these wild animals struggled, chose to help them even if it meant they might get harmed. For a look at the crazy rescue, watch the video below.

Sources: Daily Mail | Aleteia