A pair of orphan bear cubs has gained a new lease on life after they were rescued by a miner in China’s Sichuan Province.

Chen Mingfu, who works at a phosphorite mine in southwest China’s Tianchi Mountain, bumped into the two adorable creatures when he was hiking to gather herbs last Thursday. 

“There were some bamboo and weeds surrounding a deep hole,” Chen said. It had been raining all night and the bears’ lair was waterlogged. There, Chen found the cubs. Nearby was the mother’s lifeless body. 

“They were really cute,” Chen said. “They kept whining like puppies, like they were asking for help.”

Chen picked up the pair of three-kilogram cubs and took them home. He gave the bears milk and soon, the malnourished animals fattened up. With the bears healthy, Chen decided to find them a proper home. 

Chen contacted the local f‍orestry bureau, and officials soon came to get the cubs. The bears had grown attached to Chen and could not stop hugging his legs. “They were naughty but lovable. Please find them a better settlement,” Chen told the officials. 

The three-month-old bears are now at the Deyang Boai Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

On Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, Chen received plenty of praise. 

“The wild kids were lucky to come across a nice guy like Chen,”  said @TonyandAlisa.

“So cute! I want a bear hug from them!” said another user @zuoyanxiaoxi.

“The miner has an Angel’s heart compared with those villains who kill the pangolins and elephants just for a few bucks, if people can all learn something from the man, our earth would be a heaven of animals,” said @xixingyouheJS.