With a grizzly bear baby boom in Yellowstone National Park, wildlife experts have been eager to spot a famed mama bear — or sow — with her litter of five cubs.
Bo Welden, a wildlife naturalist, got exactly what he was looking for earlier this summer when he caught the family exploring through the woods when out with some guests.
Welden posted the rare footage to Instagram, where the sow leads her babies across a log. In the background, viewers can hear him and his guests attempting to suppress their squeals of delight in the background.
“Seeing the mother bear with five cubs will always be a highlight moment for my guiding career,” he wrote in the caption. “I’m not going to add any music to it because you can just hear the level of excitement from me and my guests!”
Grizzly bears usually only have three cubs per litter, making this family especially exciting — and one of the largest litters the park has ever recorded.
“When you have great days looking for wildlife you want what I call ‘the gravy,’” Welden continued in his caption. “It’s when you have already had such magical moments and your luck seems to be endless, so you want all the next moments to be even more amazing.”
Welden’s luck that day? Gravy, baby.
“While this doesn’t happen that often,” he wrote, “On this morning in Yellowstone, it surely did… Even listening to it brings me back to the tears of joy that hit Yellowstone National Park when we watched this happen.”
Bear Safety
Welden’s video is also a great example of wildlife safety in a national park. As evidenced by the distance between the camera and the grizzlies, it’s safe to assume that the spectators are at a comfortable distance and viewing the animals through a scope or binoculars.
Per Yellowstone’s safety guidelines, it is recommended that visitors remain at least 100 yards away from grizzly bears and other carnivorous mammals (like wolves).
Maintaining a safe distance from bison, elk, moose, and other wildlife is also important, with guidelines to maintain 25 yards in between humans and animals.
As far as bear safety goes, wildlife experts recommend that adventuring humans always carry bear spray.
In the event that visitors do come face-to-face with a grizzly bear — especially a protective mama and her babies — it’s important not to run away, which would likely trigger the bear’s instinct to chase or charge.
If unable to deploy bear spray, the next best method is to quickly move face-down on the ground, interlacing hands behind the neck. Bear spray should also remain in-hand, as the bear may bite into it, allowing time for escape.
This position should stay held, with legs spread wide, making it harder for the bear to flip a person right-side up.
If the attack continues, fighting back is recommended.
Fortunately, if visitors follow park guidelines — and continue to enjoy wildlife at an advisable distance — they can keep themselves safe while protecting their favorite animals, too.
Header image courtesy of NPS Photo / Emily Mesner
