Beary Tales

Nature & Wildlife 52' 2014 HD

Bears are something exceptional these days. There are only a few regions in Europe, like the Carpathian Mountains or the High Tatras, where they can still be found in the wild.

Vaclav Chaloupek is a well-known wildlife photographer and filmmaker. He lives in the Bohemian Forest, where he is always accompanied by one wild animal friend or another. When his friend, the forest ranger, shows up with bear orphans, one thing is clear right from the start: Vaclav will become their new mother, take care of them and provide the bear twins with future prospects.

Very soon Vaclav is an experienced bear mum. Bottle feeding, cleaning up their mess - the usual things. And in between he has to put up with their constant demand for more food. But the bear babies are developing splendidly. The twins are growing fast, they are perfectly healthy and learn quickly how to walk. After two months they leave Vaclav’s house, their cave, for the first time and conquer the Bohemian Forest.

On their daily excursions with Vaclav they meet other animals in the forest. These encounters are always exciting and surprising to the bear mum and often result in bizarre situations and Vaclav is learning about these great creatures. It never gets boring because there is always something new to discover in nature, there are challenges to be met and adventures to be had.

One worry remains though: where will the twins live in future? Soon it becomes apparent that a life in freedom would be too dangerous. The two bears are imprinted on humans and have lost their mistrust and fear of human beings. But Vaclav finds a solution...

In emotionally engaging images the film shows the adolescence of the bear twins, it documents their first steps and follows their development from defenseless bear babies to cheeky, 60-kilo bear teenagers.