Even though these were not fully-grown bears, who as adults can weigh as much as 1300 pounds, they still weighed a considerable amount.
They were also soaking wet which meant their fur was weighed down by water, making them even heavier for the fisherman to try and lift them out of the lake. There was a fear that the cubs would be too heavy to be pulled from the water but the fishermen persevered.
A Real Fear
The fishermen then tried to raise the first cub into the boat, but this was not without its difficulties. The cub weighed a lot more than a net full of fish, which is what these men were used to catching in the lake.
It was also the first time the cubs would have been in a net, and no one knew how they would react. There was a real fear that the bears would think they were being captured and try and resist being hoisted into the boat.
Keeping Calm
Even though the cubs had been abandoned by the mother bear and were in real danger, there was no predicting how they would react when they were being reeled into the boat by the fisherman.
Bear cubs are potentially vicious and dangerous, so it was important the fisherman kept calm and kept the cubs at ease as they pulled them towards the vessel. The trust at this point was vital so that the bears would feel safe with the fishermen.
Keep Pulling
The fishermen feared they may not succeed in rescuing the cubs and so they had to muster all of their strength to keep pulling. Slowly by surely, the fishermen worked, and the first cub inched closer to the deck of the boat.
They were nearly there and both the cub and fishermen felt how close they were to this ordeal is over. It was a mixture of nervousness and anticipation. Excitedly, the fishermen pulled on the net one more time. They were so nearly there.
Bear on Board
The first bear cub was now on the boat! They had done it! Even though only half the task was done, the fishermen were confident that the net would work and they would be able to repeat the process with the second cub.
However, it may not be quite as simple, as this cub was swimming further away from the boat, and had been in the water longer so was going to be exhausted from trying to tread water for even more time than his brother cub.