Tag: Black bears

Bear cubs scale Colorado ski-lift tower as onlookers watch in awe

Footage from a Colorado ski resort shows the two young black bears ascending the gondola structure via its ladder.

Bear cubs love to climb and apparently their skills aren’t restricted to trees.

The accompanying footage shows two young black bears scaling the Wild Blue Gondola lift tower at Steamboat Ski Resort in Colorado.

“The bears are climbing the tower,” an employee deadpans through a radio speaker in the footage.

To which comes the reply: “You better be taking videos.”

Onlookers are clearly entertained, while the bears appear comfortable scaling the massive structure… to a point.

The footage shows them stopping, dozens of yards above ground, before one cub begins the precarious task of descending the ladder, rung by rung.

“It’s OK, they’re using lobster claws,” the first employee jokes, referring to belaying ropes used by human climbers.

One onlooker wonders aloud why momma bear is allowing two of her cubs to put themselves in danger.

But black bear cubs begin to climb trees almost instinctively early in life. They probably climbed the tower out of a playful curiosity.

The Wild Blue Gondola takes resort visitors 3.16 miles from the base of the resort to the top of the mountain.

The footage was captured by Sharon Spiegel and shared by Steamboat Radio.

Watch: Yellowstone bear cub crosses river on mom’s back

A guide in Yellowstone National Park has captured adorable footage showing a black bear cub hitching a ride across the Lamar River on mom’s back.

Black bears can easily navigate rivers, but cubs sometimes require mom’s help.

The accompanying footage, captured by Yellowstone Wolf Tracker guide Michelle Holihan, shows a cub crossing the Lamar River on mom’s back and leaping from her shoulders onto the opposite shore.

“What’s the best way to get across the cold Lamar River?” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker asked followers via Instagram. “Hitch a ride on mom!

“We spotted this black bear in the river but her two cubs were hesitant to cross so she went back to get them and one of them climbed onboard for the crossing.”

The Lamar River, a tributary of the Yellowstone River, spans 44 miles through wildlife-rich portions of Yellowstone National Park.

According to the National Park Service, the Lamar River and Lamar Valley are named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, Secretary of the Interior under President Grover Cleveland from 1885 to 1888.

–Image is a video screen shot

Momma bear persuades cubs to scale wall in adorable footage

A Colorado Springs motorist has captured footage showing three bear cubs trying to scale a rock wall in order to join momma bear.

A Colorado Springs motorist has captured footage showing three bear cubs trying to scale a rock wall in order to join momma bear.

In the KKTV 11 News footage, captured by Jeremy Johnson, momma black bear has already scaled the wall and is encouraging her cubs to follow.

But the roadside wall is steep and the tiny cubs are new at climbing.

Momma bear seems to realizes this, and is about to descend the wall when one cub safely scrambles up and over.


This seems to inspire the other cubs, one of which follows the route taken by the first cub.

Rooting them on, Johnson says in the video, “Come on little guys, you can do it. Climb! Climb!”

Mission accomplished, the bear family continues its adventure safely off the road, albeit in somebody’s yard.

Reads the top comment beneath the KKTV 11 post:

“So smart. That second one saw where the first one went and moved there. This is so cute. Nothing like life in the Springs.”

Another popular comment: “Awww… such a good lesson here too… Sometimes we gotta let them figure it out.”

Watch: Fighting bears resemble WWE combatants, but really mean it

A man was driving up a mountain road in Tennessee when a WWE fight broke out and halted traffic. Two black bears brawled in the road.

Tom Haviland was driving up a mountain road in Tennessee when a WWE fight broke out and halted traffic. The combatants were black bears, and they appeared to be fighting for real, as captured in video taken by Haviland.

By the end of the tussle, both combatants were huffing and puffing, and clearly ready for a long break.

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“Bears communicate their dominance by intimidating their opponent,” BearSmart.com writes. “Bears do not fight with each other unless it’s absolutely necessary. Fight risks injury, and that is not the bear’s objective. It’s all about posturing.”

In this encounter, which occurred August 4 in Gatlinburg, they were possibly posturing over a food source or a mate. But this we know: The battle could have used a referee.

Watch: Enormous black bears brawl on Tennessee road

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency on Wednesday shared footage of a ferocious brawl between two large black bears that included an impressive takedown by the apparent victor.

The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency on Wednesday shared footage of a ferocious brawl between two large black bears that included an impressive takedown by the apparent victor.

The footage, captured this week from the safety of a garage near Ely’s Mill in Gatlinburg, shows what appears to be the slightly larger bear dominating the battle after a swift and violent takedown.

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The battle, which showcases the remarkable power and agility possessed by black bears, ends with the vanquished bruin running off at 36 seconds.

Ely’s Mill stated on Facebook that the footage was captured by guests Billie Jo and Micah Campbell.

The top comment beneath the post: “Wow, and to think some people think it is okay to get out of their vehicles and approach them. They toss each other around like it is nothing. Can you imagine what they could do to a person?”

It’s not entirely clear why the bears were fighting, but the TWRA stated on Facebook:

“While it’s a little bit early for bears to engage in battle for dominance during breeding season, we believe it may have been a dispute over a food source considering the size of both animals.”

–Image courtesy of Ely’s Mill

Trail-cam footage features the derrieres of some very large bears

A wildlife photographer in Canada’s Yukon Territory has compiled video footage that shows grizzly bears and black bears wandering away from his trail cameras.

A wildlife photographer in Canada’s Yukon Territory has compiled video footage that shows grizzly bears and black bears wandering away from his trail cameras.

“Bear butts!” David Troup, of Yukon Wildlife Cams, wrote this month on Facebook. “[The] 2021 compilation also offers a great size comparison between grizzlies and black bears, and even a blond black bear.”

The footage shows bear butts in varying degrees of motion as the animals explore the wilderness.

It’s worth noting that Troup’s page also features footage of bears traveling toward his cameras, including a large grizzly bear that is shown charging to within feet of a camera, revealing the bruin’s awesome power and enormous claws.

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In the “Bear butts” clip, Troup told For The Win Outdoors that the footage is from three cameras and that every bear is a different animal.

“The first two are very likely a male grizzly pursuing a female,” Troup said. “I’ve got these two on a pair of cameras pointing in opposite directions the trail – so a coming-and-going perspective, though I’ve only ever shared them separately.”

Troup places motion-sensor cameras at strategic location each season and posts footage to his page sporadically throughout each year.

Woman fined $60,000 for feeding bears in ‘precedent-setting’ case

A resident of Whistler, Canada, has been fined $60,000 for attracting and feeding produce to bears throughout the summer of 2018.

A resident of Whistler, Canada, has been fined $60,000 for attracting and feeding bears throughout the 2018 summer.

The penalty levied against Zuzana Stevikova, who was sentenced last week in North Vancouver Provincial Court, is the highest imposed under the Wildlife Act in British Columbia.

Three bears that routinely visited the area were euthanized because they had become habituated as a result of illegal feeding and posed a safety threat.

ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Massive grizzly bear charges within feet of trail-cam; ‘Look at those claws!’

According to a Conservation Officer Services news release, the agency launched an investigation in July 2018 after receiving an anonymous tip. Weekly purchases by Stevikova included up to 10 cases of apples, 50 pounds of carrots and 15 cases of eggs, according to the COS.

Visiting black bears exhibited no fear of humans and had become so conditioned to non-natural food that they were deemed ineligible for rehabilitation or relocation.

“The primary concern of the COS is public safety,” COS Sgt. Simon Gravel stated in the news release. “Illegally feeding or placing attractants to lure dangerous wildlife, such as bears, is an extremely dangerous activity. Once bears learn to associate humans with food, it creates a public safety risk.”

Because of the substantial penalty – most of the $60,000 will benefit the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation – the case was described as “precedent setting.”

–Black bear images are generic

Mama bear, cub ride school playground slides; ‘Try not to smile’

A mama bear and her intrepid cub could not resist the temptation recently to climb aboard a playground apparatus and zip down its slippery slides.

A mama bear and her intrepid cub could not resist the temptation Tuesday to climb aboard a playground apparatus and zip down its slides.

“There was a little playground takeover this afternoon as teachers were leaving for the day,” reads the Facebook description by Isaac Dickson Elementary School in Asheville, N.C. “Watch the whole video and try not to smile.”

The footage, captured by Betsie Stockslager Emry, shows mama bear acting like any responsible parent, going first on the larger slide, then encouraging her cub to try the smaller slide.

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“You can do this one, honey. It’s a smaller one,” one of the teachers mimics mama bear in the video. “You can do it!”

The teachers seemed to enjoy the bears’ playtime as much as the bruins enjoyed their bonding experience, and the school assured that “all kiddos were safely inside at this time.”

Probe launched after hunters kill protected grizzly bears

A federal investigation has been launched after two grizzly bears were killed by black bear hunters last week near Great Falls, Montana.

A federal investigation has been launched after two grizzly bears were killed by black bear hunters last week near Great Falls, Montana.

Grizzly bears are federally protected and the investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in cooperation with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Neither agency is offering specific details, pending results of the investigation.

However, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) issued a news release stating that the hunters killed one male and one female grizzly bear during the black bear season. No cubs were found.

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Montana’s spring black bear hunting season ended May 31 in some regions, but continues through June 15 in other regions.

It remains unclear whether the hunters thought they were shooting at black bears, but “correct identification is critical,” FWP stated.

In Montana, hunters must pass a test to make sure they can tell the difference between the two species before they are issued hunting tags. The test consists of 15 multiple-choice questions and hunters must answer at least 12 correctly to receive a certificate of completion.

FWP noted that color and size are not clear indications. Black bears are sometimes lighter in color, and grizzly bears can look black. Grizzly bears are sometimes smaller than adult black bears.

“Grizzly bears are expanding into more places in Montana, and we are also heading outdoors in higher numbers right now, which means it is more important than ever to review bear safety and identification tips,” FWP cautioned.

–Grizzly bear images (top two) are via Wikipedia; black bear image is courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service