dug her front claws into the bark of my stand tree, and scaled 7 feet up almost instantly. You’d think an animal as heavy as a black bear, even a smallish one, would shinny and fumble a bit ...

The black bear may wade or wallow in mud or water, and is a strong swimmer, capable of swimming at least 5 miles. This mammal climbs trees by pulling itself up with its front legs and it backs down ...