VIDEO footage which shows a baby bear desperately trying to reach its worried mum as it tries time and again to climb a snowy mountain has gone gangbusters on social media.

The footage, reportedly taken from a drone in the Magadan region of Russia, shows the mama bear pacing helplessly as the cub continues to slide down the icy cliff face.

The video, which has been shared millions of times on social media, gained traction after it was posted by a member of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

The three-minute vidoe will have you on the edge of your seat as the bub comes agonisingly close to reaching its mum, who has reached the peak, only to slide down again.

Indeed, by the time the cub finally makes it to the top, we all need a good lie down and a cup of tea.

The video, however, has also drawn widespread criticism from those who say the bears are trying to get away from the drone, and wouldn’t have found themselves in the situation if it had not been there.

Others have suggested the bears mistook the drone for a bird of prey.

Still, the little bear that could is given us a fleeting moment of happy news.

Indian billionaire businessman Anand Mahindra tweeted that it was the best Monday morning motivator and a parenting lesson — the mother bear “made the cub slip down again and try harder.”

Another Twitter user wrote: ‘Be like this baby bear and never give up.”

Others spoke to the “persistence” of the cub, but added “humans are awful”, pointing to the suggestion the drone scared the bears.

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society said the video was an example of poor drone usage and tweeted guidance for any amateur wildlife drone operators to follow.