Brown Bears (Info, Pics and Videos)

[brotherbear]

Yellowstone Bears in the Wild

My class and I had been watching brown bears along the coast of Katmai National Park in Alaska. Early on our second day I took my class upstream where a stream emptied out of a narrow gorge. I nestled the class on a gravel bar in plain view so any approaching bear would see us. The 15-foot-wide river separated us from a grassy meadow backed by a high cliff.
Fifteen minutes after we arrived a large female with three COY approached on the far side of the river. Her gaze told me she approved of our low demeanor and respectful silence. She closed the distance between us to less than 100 feet. I knew that moving would spook her, so we remained still. Since she seemed to approve of our presence, we photographed and videoed respectfully all the while thankful for her sharing time with us.
The bears fished. They grazed grass. For a while it was idyllic. Then a cubs head went up. Then three cubs heads looked upstream. Mom looked upstream. We knew something was happening but didn't know what. Mom shooed the cubs into a small ravine where they started climbing.
At that moment a large male bear came into view upstream. I emphasize the word "large." My class thought the female was big, and she was by Yellowstone grizzly standards. But the male was almost one and a half times as big as the female.
Seconds are much too long to measure the female's transformation from docile mother to roaring dervish. Frothing at the mouth and with her fur flared up, the female reared on her hind legs and charged the male. The male stood on his hind legs and the female went for his throat. Dodging and batting, he fended her off while backing away. It was as if he were trying to say, Lady, all I wanted to do was fish." Finally they both dropped to all fours. Using the tip of her nose, she swung it sideways against his head three times, clearly motioning for him to leave. He backed off and she turned towards her cubs.
The male started into the river towards us. Thinking he might be in a very bad mood, I warned my class to grab their packs. However, once in the river the male turned downstream, passed us, and caught a fish. He was also tolerant of our presence. Reply