Bears appear confused at frozen lake before excitedly sliding around on the ice in adorable footage

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Cute footage shows a bear mum and her four cubs sniffing at the ice on their frozen lake, before wrestling on the slippery surface.

Adorable footage shows a mother bear and her four cubs playing and wrestling on a frozen lake.

The North American black bears at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire enjoyed a day of ice skating after the recent cold snap caused the lake in their enclosure to freeze over.

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Mum Phoenix and her four cubs were seen sniffing at the ice, sliding on their stomachs, and even wrestling on the slippery surface.

North American black bears playing on the ice at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire.North American black bears playing on the ice at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire.
North American black bears playing on the ice at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire. | Woburn Safari Park / SWNS

Cubs Harvard, Maple, Colorado and Aspen, seemed confused at first, before quickly getting caught up in the excitement.

Woburn Safari Park said: "During our recent cold snap, the frosty temperatures caused the lake in the North American black bear enclosure to freeze over, prompting Mum Phoenix and her four yearlings to venture out and explore!

"Each of the bears had a unique reaction to the ice. Some were baffled, cautiously navigating the slippery surface with their noses and paws, while others seemed to revel in the novel experience, rolling around and embracing the new sensation.

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"The frozen lake also provided an opportunity for some playful sparring as the young bears took advantage of their opponents' unsteady footing on the icy terrain.

"The freezing weather recently has posed some challenging conditions for us all, but it’s nice to know that it hasn’t stopped the bears having fun!"

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