It was truly an adorable story:
Wildlife cameras purportedly captured the moment a mountain lion and a black bear cub were spotted together at Yosemite National Park. The photo quickly went viral, with many oohing and aahing at the idea that the mountain lion was raising the bear cub.
The unlikely duo was spotted at night. Subsequent images showed the duo again in the coming weeks, with photos purportedly showing the mountain lion pausing to let the cub rest, and even sharing skills. Some also deduced that the mountain lion, at one point, circled the bear cub to protect it from approaching predators.
All cute. All adorable. All of it is false.
KSEE in Central California reached out to Scott Gediman, a Public Affairs Officer at Yosemite National Park, who sadly debunked the story that caught the attention of many.
“I knew it was fake but wanted to double-check,” he told the news outlet. “A mountain lion would not do that. They are solitary animals, and that is implausible.”
It was fun while it lasted.
