Category: Outdoors

Can you spot Yellowstone grizzly bear family on the move?

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view – if you can spot them.

–Editor’s note:  A version of this post was first published in June 2024, after the author’s annual spring trip to Yellowstone National Park.

In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye and the animals are in more of a natural setting.

Can you spot the momma grizzly bear and her three cubs in the image I captured in late May, from a hillside opposite the Lamar Valley? (Answer at the bottom of the post.)

Can you spot the grizzly bear and three cubs? Photo: ©Pete Thomas

The bears had been grazing on both sides of the highway and creating sporadic traffic jams, or “bear jams,” whenever they were been visible.

MORE OUTDOORS: Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest creatures

Momma bear was with first-year cubs, or cubs of the year, born during the winter hibernation period. The curious little ones did not stray far from mom while I watched from a distance of 100-plus yards.

Same grizzly bears in different image. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

During this sighting the bears ascended a hillside opposite the valley after being run off by a bison herd in a meadow surrounded by sagebrush.

(Momma bear was so preoccupied with foraging, with her head down, that she did not seem to notice how closely she was leading her cubs to several bison and their newborn calves.)

The bears were too far for me to capture a detailed image with my 400-millimeter lens, but I’ve attached a cropped version of a different image from the same sighting that shows the bears in more detail.

The bears in the top images used for the quiz are circled below.

Grizzly bear family circled in red. Photo: ©Pete Thomas

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Lions think they can take down a rhino; boy, were they wrong

A safari guide captured video of a rhino sending a male lion scampering away with its tail figuratively between its legs.

Lions usually know better than to take on a massive white rhino. They are said to know their limitations. But that didn’t stop a trio of lions at Kruger National Park in South Africa from trying.

The end result was the male lion nearly getting gored by the rhino.

Safari guide Jordan Davidson shared video of the unique encounter and shared it with Latest Sightings.

The rhino walked right up to where a male and two female lions were lounging about. It probably didn’t see them right away, but when it did, it took a defensive stance.

The first female got up and relocated. When an opportunity presented itself, the second female leaped up on the rhino’s rear.

“It didn’t even take a second for the lioness to realize that she was in over her head,” Latest Sightings reported. “She immediately let go and abandoned ship…The now very grumpy rhino was turning around to face them.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Toddler is plucked out of mother’s hands by a giraffe (video)

“With both lionesses out of the picture, the only thing that stood in the rhino’s way was the poor male lion! Having a stare down with an animal that is bigger than some family-sized cars can only be daunting, but amazingly the lion’s first instinct wasn’t to run!

“No, the lion walked right up to the rhino to meet it head-on! This was unquestionably brave, but considering just how long the rhino’s horn was, it didn’t seem like the greatest of ideas.”

Hardly. The video tells the story.

“Without much surprise, the male lion ended up learning the same lesson as the female just before him, but not before the rhino tried stabbing at it, twice! And only missing marginally both times!”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Abandoned baby elephant fends off lions with ‘brave’ ploy (video)

It was a close call, no doubt.

The first female followed the rhino as it wandered off, but any thoughts about her trying to attack where quickly dashed.

Photo courtesy of Latest Sightings.

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Watch: This grizzly bear encounter was close, but close like family

A travel writer taking a six-day trip to Spirit Bear Lodge in British Columbia couldn’t believe the encounter her group had with a grizzly.

A travel writer visiting Spirit Bear Lodge in British Columbia experienced a close encounter with a grizzly bear she “still can’t believe” happened.

Sarah Sekula was on a six-day tour at the lodge located in the remote wilderness of the Great Bear Rainforest, home to the Kitasoo Xai’xais people, one of 15 Tsimshian nations that call the rainforest home.

“The Kitasoo Xai’xais people believe that bears are like family members,” Sekula explained in her Instagram post.

And so, they talk to the bears as if they are family, as guide Heather Robinson did when a grizzly came rushing toward her group while chasing fish in a stream.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Shaking and with fear in her voice, hiker endures scary bear encounter (video)

The grizzly stopped and checked out the group. It was 5-feet away from Robinson, who calmly told the bear, “Oh no, you can’t come this way, OK?”

With no fear in her voice, the bear backed off and then started chasing fish, as seen in Sekula’s Instagram video.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCMeXKqR75W/

“Guides are so good at what they do,” Sekula wrote on Instagram. “We learned so much about bear behavior. Fascinating and surprisingly not scary!

“You know, you would think it would be nerve racking, but it wasn’t. The bear never showed signs of aggression. Both of our guides were extremely knowledgeable about bear behavior and have never even had to use bear spray.

“I think Heather Robinson could double as a yoga teacher with that sweet and calm voice.”

Photo courtesy of Sarah Sekula.

Mystery animal near Yellowstone likely one of area’s rarest critters

Dash-cam footage shows the animal – likely a wolverine – bounding across a snowy road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

A Montana photographer on Tuesday shared blurry dash-cam footage showing a low-profiled animal bounding across a snow-covered road just outside Yellowstone National Park.

Trent Sizemore, based in West Yellowstone, theorized via Facebook that the critter was a wolverine:

“It was dark in color, had a noticeable tail, was the size of a small wolf, but much lower to the ground. It loped across the road more like a wolverine than a wolf.”

(Click here to view footage if video player doesn’t appear below.)

https://www.facebook.com/sizemorefineart/videos/457324234047166

That would represent one of the rarest animal sightings to occur in or near Yellowstone National Park.

The stocky carnivores are solitary and extremely elusive, and only a handful are believed to reside in a greater Yellowstone region that includes vast swaths of Montana and Wyoming.

RELATED: Yellowstone coyote clearly visible, but can you spot the other critter?

A verified wolverine sighting was documented inside the park in March 2022, also in the snow, by the tour group Yellowstone Insight. (Click here to view images from that encounter.)

In January 2021, the park shared month-old trail-cam footage showing a wolverine loping across the snow.

The park stated: “Park biologists were excited to find one of Yellowstone’s rarest mammals triggered a remote trail camera outside the Mammoth Hot Springs area!”

That was the first wolverine footage captured by a trail camera inside the park.

Generic wolverine image courtesy of Wikipedia

West Yellowstone is just outside the park’s West Entrance. Sizemore told the Cowboy State Daily that he was driving his wife to work at 7:30 a.m. when the animal crossed in front of their vehicle.

“My first thought was it was either a coyote or a black wolf,” Sizemore said. “But it was loping across the road, too low to the ground to be a wolf, and I realized it might be a wolverine.”

Sizemore shared the footage with Cat Wood, a biologist who studied wolverines in Alaska. She told the Cowboy State Daily that the animal is likely a wolverine.

“It’s called a loping gallop,” Wood said of a gait that is “very specific to wolverines.”

If, in fact, it was a wolverine, it would represent a once-in-a-lifetime sighting. But Sizemore, of course, would love to get a another look at the animal in more favorable conditions.

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‘Would you have stepped on it?’ Deadly snake ridiculously hard to spot

The puff adder is nearly impossible to spot until the narrator zooms in and reveals the venomous snake hiding in the bushes.

The puff adder is one of the deadliest snakes in Africa, and also an expert at camouflage.

Can you spot the puff adder in the accompanying image, or in the footage before the narrator zooms in? (Footage posted below.)

Or, as asked by Watamu Snake Farm in Kenya: “Would you have stepped on it?”

As for the image, look just left of the dangling gold leaf and good luck. The answer is best provided in the footage as the narrator discusses the snake’s ability to remain hidden while it “lies in wait.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCHH8gSoBrO/

A few facts about puff adders, courtesy of Siyabona Africa:

–The puff adder gets its name for its propensity to inflate itself and hiss when threatened.

–The puff adder’s venom causes swelling, blisters, and tissue damage. Snake bite victims are urged to seek medical help as quickly as possible. (Most fatalities occur because of a secondary infection or improper medial care.)

–The puff adder is extra dangerous because it typically holds its ground when danger approaches, relying on camouflage. It will not retreat from footsteps and it will bite if stepped upon.

From Siyabona Africa: “The Puff Adder is responsible for more bites and fatalities in Africa than any other snake due to its habit of not moving away from approaching footsteps, instead blowing out air as a warning, hence the name.”

Watch: Wild stallion fiercely protects foal from wolves

Footage shows the wolves searching for an opening, but the stallion and herd mates weren’t about to give them one.

A group that studies wild horses in Alberta, Canada, on Monday shared trail-cam footage showing a stallion and herd members intently defending a foal from wolves.

“A lot of people ask us if the Stallion would try to protect his foal from wolves,” Help Alberta Wildies Society stated via Facebook. “This short video will give you an idea of what that might look like.”

The footage (posted below), which HAWS said was captured a year ago, shows the stallion leading a determined effort to cut off the wolves’ advances. (Click here if video player doesn’t appear below.)

https://www.facebook.com/HelpAlbertaWildiesSociety/videos/1600909290503558

Viewers will note that the wolves steer clear of the larger horses (and their hooves) but remain persistent in trying to single out the foal.

Reads the top comment: “The wolves want them to run so they can separate their intended prey and isolate it to take it down. When the herds stand their ground and put the foals in the center the predators tend to look for easier prey.”

The outcome was not clear, but the horses appear determined to hold their ground.

On a related topic, HAWS also has clips showing horses running from grizzly bears, which can sprint up to 35 mph. The bears, like the wolves, are hoping to catch a weary foal or a larger horse to fall and become injured.

In 2022, we featured one such chase that also involved a foal, with the grizzly in close pursuit. HAWS was quoted:

“The next time someone tells you that the Wild Horses have no natural predators, send them to me. We are losing a lot of horses this year, sooner and quicker than in past years. Not just the foals. Adults also.”

It was not clear if the bear was successful in its chase.

Arkansas deer hunter accused of ‘contest fraud’ in Louisiana

An Arkansas man faces possible jail time after allegedly poaching a 15-point deer in Arkansas and entering the animal in a big-buck contest in Louisiana.

An Arkansas man faces possible jail time after allegedly poaching a 15-point deer in Arkansas and entering the animal in a big-buck contest in Louisiana.

Andrew Riels, 27, of Crossett, Ark., was cited recently for hunting contest fraud and violating interstate commerce regulations by agents with the Louisiana Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The agents were informed of Reils’ activities by wildlife agents in Arkansas.

“During the investigation, agents learned that Riels illegally harvested a 15-point buck during illegal hours on Sept. 8 near Crosset, Ark.,” the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries stated in a news release. “Riels then entered the buck into the Simmons Sporting Goods Big Buck Contest in Bastrop [La.] later that same day.”

Riels was cited for the illegal killing of the buck on Oct. 30 in Arkansas.

Hunting contest fraud in Louisiana is punishable by a fine of up to $3,000 and one year in jail. Violation of interstate commerce regulations is punishable by a fine of up to $950 and 120 days in jail.

Watch: Bear jumps into tree to avoid speedy mountain bikers

A black bear appeared ready to cross a mountain bike trail at Whistler when it was forced to take evasive measures to avoid a collision.

A black bear appeared ready to cross a mountain bike trail when it quickly jumped up a tree to take cover as it heard five mountain bikers racing downhill heading its way.

Leading the “train” at Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia was Steve Peat, a professional downhill mountain biker known as a legend in Britain.

Alex Griggs happened to capture video of the encounter, and Peat posted it on his Instagram account, writing, “Ace last day in the park!! Even got to see a black bear jumping into a tree while I was leading the train!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBIRrMRx5ie/

The bear clung to the tree while waiting for the riders to pass. Once the coast was clear, it climbed down and continued on its way.

It is not unusual to encounter black bears at this venue, which boasts of being the No. 1 mountain bike park in the world.

Photo credit: Resort Municipality of Whistler

According to Blackcomb Peaks, an estimated 50 black bears make their home in the forests and mountains surrounding Whistler Village, including a family of bears that make its home at the mountain bike park.

Visitors are given the usual tips on how to stay safe. One is to talk or sing to avoid surprising a bear. In this case, the mountain bikers made plenty of noise to announce their presence.

Feature photo courtesy of Alex Griggs via Steve Peat. 

Maryland hunters go the extra mile to illegally bait bears

Nine hunters were cited for violating the ban during the recent five-day season; some had spread out a virtual smorgasbord.

Authorities in Maryland cited nine hunters for illegally using bait during the state’s recent five-day season for black bears.

But it was the extent of baiting and variety of items that stood out in a news release issued Friday by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

One hunter was issued two citations after he admitted to hunting from a stand overlooking an area baited with bacon grease, chicken grease, corn, molasses, vanilla icing, and licorice.

As if that weren’t enough, the hunter also possessed an illegal “bear bomb” spray to help lure bears to within shooting range.

In another case, two hunters were cited after hunting from separate stands over an area baited with cracked corn kernels and grease or lard spread onto a tree trunk near their stands.

Two other hunters, including an 84-year-old, hunted over a site baited with corn dispersed as close as 10 yards from their elevated blinds.

Another hunter was found to have used bacon grease, corn, apple peelings, and apple processing waste placed between 23 and 50 yards from his blind.

In yet another case, two hunters from Pennsylvania were cited for utilizing a site baited with dog food, animal carcasses, apples, syrup, strawberry jam, and shelled corn.

It was made clear before this year’s hunt, which concluded Oct. 26, that the use of bait or hunting near previously baited areas was prohibited. (The use of bait while hunting white-tailed deer is legal on private property in Maryland.)

According to the Maryland DNR, 950 hunters were randomly selected via lottery to participate in the annual black bear hunting season.

The nine who were cited face fines of up to $1,500 for a first violation, and up to $4,000 if there was a second violation.