Brown bear sow nursing4 cubs (Grizzly bear, Ursus arctos), Katmai National Park, Alaska. Quadruplets. Please click on the image above to view a larger version of this photo.
Hey Folks,
There’s probably no reason to post this photo other than it seems like a good time to post another grizzly bear photo.
This event was quite possibly one of the highlights of the 2 weeks in Katmai National Park last year, on the grizzly bear photo tour. We actually saw 2 separate sows each with 4 cubs on several occasions, which was pretty neat. But the chance to watch all 4 bear cubs nurse at once was a special treat indeed.
It’s pretty amazing how much noise the cubs make nursing on the sow. They growl and spat and purr all at once.
The mother, the sow, was pretty mellow, just kinda laid back and watched us photographers, wondering what all the fuss was about. It was definitely her most restful time of the day; the rest of her waking moments were spent hellbent chasing salmon up and down the river. Feeding 4 hungry cubs is a big job for a single mom.
What a great moment to witness.
Cheers
Carl
What a cool shot! I can only imagine how exhausting it must be to try to care for 4 cubs at once!
How were you able to get that close without the bear mother attacking?
Hey Richard
Thanks for the comment; with a lot of caution and care. 🙂 The key though is to study a subject before approaching it/him/her. Generally the bears in this area are pretty tolerant of people, but it’s always wise to take your time and let an animal get used to you first. This sow I had photographed a lot, and she was pretty comfortable with us around; we still made to keep enough distance from her that she wasn’t upset at all.
@ Pat – thanks for the comment, as always, much appreciated. I’ll be keen to return this fall and see how she did over the winter.
Cheers
Carl