Grazer Attacks Small Bear | Bear Cam Break Down (Warning Graphic) 

Thankyou for this break down Mike. Yes I was disturbed when I first witnessed this interaction. I do really admire and respect Grazer for how focused and fearless she is, but was a little upset when she seemed to lose it on this poor starving young bear. But you're right the fish are scarce and there are so many more desperate fights for food. She knows she must think about herself and those Cub's of hers and I completely respect that. So when do the Cubs actually start fishing for themselves and maybe help feed Mom too? Or is it a rude awakening when Mom moves on, and they end up having to take care of themselves , or becoming thieves like this poor young Bear? Who clearly thinks Grazer is a Mom and should be sharing her food with it, like it's Mother used to do. Or could the young Bear even be younger than we thought and its Mother died or some how it got lost and was separated from it's mother before it was really ready? I just hope All the Bears are able to get enough food to fatten up so they can survive the winter. It's supposed to be a really harsh so they will really need to be nice and fat. Thanks again for sharing this video and your break down Mike. ✌❤🐻🇨🇦

@@katherinehunter9526 First year cubs generally begin to scavenge dead and dying salmon by the end of their first summer. Cubs usually begin to gain more enhanced fishing skills during their second summer. Divot and Grazer's yearlings this year, for example, are doing a great job catching their own fish at Brooks Falls. Although it is possible that the young bear I highlight in the video was separated accidentally from its mother, I think it is an independent 2.5 year-old bear. It is probably spending its first summer on its own.

@@tedfio1tedfio1 Grazer weaned her last litter in 2018 and we think one or two of those cubs are still using the river this summer. They are much bigger than the young bear in the video who I think is an independent 2.5 year-old bear. It might be experiencing its first summer alone. On the day highlighted in the video, salmon were not plentiful at Brooks Falls so many bears were forced into a small area. Under those conditions young bears who rank low in the hierarchy generally are displaced from productive fishing spots which probably exacerbates their hunger makes them more willing to take risks.

@@mikefitz6837 Thankyou for replying and once again sharing your knowledge with us! ✌❤🐻

I noticed that some bears look little malnutrition and some bears look very fat and chubby. Are skinny bears healthy and is that normal?

That’s hilarious!

No father in their life?

😄😄😄

You forgot Snap-bear

😂

Lesson learned: mess with the bear, you get claw and jaw.

He was pushing his luck and mama laid down the law.

I was thinking the same thing. That youngen is small. I hope it survives, and doesn’t have to put itself at such risk just to get a morsel of food. It is a tough life in the wild!

Grazer's yearlings are quite big for their age. I would be surprised if they weighed less than 200 pounds each. They are so big in fact that right now I wouldn't be able to determine if they were yearlings or 2.5 year-olds if I didn't recognize this family individually.

@@mikefitz6837 Thank you. That adds some perspective to the situation. :)

Bears always act all nonchalant ;)

Well said!

Yup, @mikefitz6837 is a legend.

He's obviously very hungry to keep risking stealing

same scenario was played again 2 times

Grazer's yearlings are quite big for their age. I would be surprised if they weighed less than 200 pounds each. They are so big in fact that right now I wouldn't be able to determine if they were yearlings or 2.5 year-olds if I didn't recognize this family individually. We don't have a conclusive ID on the young bear. Young subadult bears are the hardest to track from year to year because they grow so quickly. While it's possible that the young bear was separated early from its mother, it seems more likely that it is just a small 2.5 year old. We might see Grazer's cubs in a similar situation next year. She separated from her previous litter when they were that age. Her current yearlings are reaping the benefits of mom's protection now, but that won't last forever.

@@mikefitz6837 Thanks for the feedback.

Live and learn

I agree. This was a learning curve for little dude. He's a determined little rascal.

@@shelberwelber yep, lesson learned, make the wee one a bit wiser for next time

Just act casual, then maybe we won’t get grazered…

Or cripples you

The bear is small, probably 2.5 years old based on its size. This is likely its first summer alone, and this is also a typical age for bears to separate from their mothers in Katmai National Park. At this stage in its life, fishing can be a difficult task. It hasn't developed the skills of older bears and it doesn't have the body size to occupy the most productive fishing spots. The bear's small body size does give it an advantage, however. It can survive and gain body mass on vegetation easier than the large adult bears. Salmon will also become more accessible in the area as they begin to spawn, so even though it faces challenges the small bear has the opportunity to overcome them.

@Bobb Grimley I think it was because we rarely see fights of that duration on the cams, and when we have seen long fights they have been between two large adults. Grazer clearly had the advantage too, and many viewers were concerned the smaller bear was going to be seriously injured. Witnessing this event was a learning opportunity for many of us, myself included.

Especially if that mother bear is Grazer!

Hangry.

The young bear didn't seem to sustain any serious injuries, at least none that we could see. As for 708's cub, it was separated from mom for a few days but the family eventually reunited.

@@mikefitz6837 Thank you for replying! ☺️

The younger bear has been seen at the falls after this event fishing. Mike does not think it will have any long term issues

@@ExploreLiveNatureCams Is this the same little guy that was seen with the bad limp?

Look at the video, there's almost none jumping at that time. They are very hungry.

While there were some fish jumping, the volume of fish at the falls at that point in the day wasn't great enough that the less-than-dominant bears (such as subadults and smaller adults) to get their fish. The most productive fishing spots were occupied by the large adults for the most part, which left a lot of the other bears hungry. Later in the day, we saw the dynamic shift. A big wave of salmon pushed through and more than 200 salmon were jumping per minute. During that time, all bears were able to get their fill and small bears didn't need to take such great risk to get salmon.

@@mikefitz6837 Appreciate it, man. Sometimes it is hard to fathom just how many salmon there are during peak times. For myself having grown up in a town where salmon spawn, to see even twenty jumping a minute is a lot.

@@illuminotmereloaded6896 The salmon runs in Bristol Bay are truly on another level compared to most other places in North America. It's an amazing sight and hopefully serves as an inspiration to restore and protect salmon populations elsewhere.

That's a good point.

The young bear is small enough that I think it was recently separated from its mom and it is experiencing life on its own for the first time this summer. Subadult bears face a lot of challenges and competition from other bears for food. Even so, they are sometimes willing to push the boundaries around other bears to see what they can get away with, especially when they are hungry. Some mother bears at Brooks River are tolerant of the close proximity of young bears, yet Grazer doesn't seem to be one of them.

He’s not. The rangers know all of Grazer’s offspring.