A tour group in Yellowstone National Park on Friday experienced a “once-in-a-lifetime” sighting of a large grizzly bear being harassed by wolves.
The accompanying footage, captured by Adam Brubaker of the Tied to Nature guide service, shows the large bear wandering across a meadow and suddenly realizing other critters were in its midst.
The bear stands on its hind legs as two wolves of the Wapiti Lake Pack appear in the foreground. Rather than turn back, the bear runs in the wolves’ direction.
One of four tourists in Brubaker’s group asks if the bear, by running, is trying to clear the wolves out of its territory.
ALSO ON FTW OUTDOORS: Record lake trout ‘a big deal’ for more than its size
The guide responds: “I think more than anything, he wants to know what it is, and what’s going on. That’s why he was standing up. It’s the same thing with people; they don’t want to be surprised by anything.”
Then more wolves emerge, and it becomes clear that they’re intent on clearing the bear out of their territory.
One of the tourists predicts the wolves will “attack him on both sides,” and several begin to harass the bear. At one point as many as 10 wolves can be seen chasing and nipping at the bear, as it fights back while reluctantly fleeing toward the trees.
“Y’all,” an astonished tourist remarks.
“Bear, why didn’t you move when you had the chance?” another tourist bemoans.
Once at the tree line the confrontation seems over, with Brubaker explaining that the wolves were simply escorting the bear from the meadow.
On Facebook he wrote, “I had the awesome opportunity to share this once-in-a-lifetime wolf and grizzly sighting while on tour in Yellowstone today.”
Brubaker told For The Win Outdoors that he was not sure if the wolves were acting in this manner to protect nearby cubs, or guarding a fresh carcass.
“From what I could see the pups were not with them,” he said. “The white wolf [seen in the video] has blood on her face and neck, so there could have been a carcass, but while I watched them they were not feeding on one.”
Brubaker captured the footage in Hayden Valley, one of Yellowstone’s premier wildlife viewing areas.