Felicia, a grizzly bear sow (female) was first seen around May
6, with two COY (Cubs of the Year). We
photographed them on May 11 and again on May 12, that was the last time that we
saw all three bears together...
On May 14, Felicia was seen alone with no cubs in sight. A large
male bear in the area was thought to be the reason. While we, and many others enjoyed the
close photo opportunities that Felicia provided...
a Wyoming Game and Fish Department
truck arrived on the scene...
The driver
was wearing the distinctive red shirt of a Wyoming game warden and without explanation he drove between us and Felicia, sounding his horn and revving his motor in an
attempt to make Felicia leave. He was
successful...
Even after she crossed
the highway he fired cracker loads over her head to ensure that she didn’t
stop...
This effectively separated her
from her first cubs and must have increased her stress level greatly.
We did not see Felicia until May 26, when she had only the dark
faced cub that local photographers had named Pepper...
It is likely that the other cub was killed by
a boar but, without a witness, there is no way to know for sure.
On May 27 there was a blanket of light snow that proved to be no
hindrance for the bears...
When we saw Felicia and Pepper on May 29 the cub was getting a
vigorous education that included hill climbing and descent...
as well as swimming and boulder hopping...
Our sighting on May 30 was brief, as Felicia led Pepper away from
the road and into the surrounding forest...
The next month was one of speculation and concern for those who followed
the bears regularly, and one of angst for the young cub that became separated from
Felicia.
Although both bears were seen often, they just couldn’t seen to
find each other.
Finally, word arrived
through the photographer’s grapevine that a local photographer had seen, and
photographed, Felicia and Pepper together.
Many wondered if Felicia’s
milk had dried up over the past four weeks but she allowed Pepper to nurse and
has been seen nursing him since...
They have been observed frolicking
and grazing together...
This is one story
that had the potential for disaster but, as of this date, has a wonderful
ending.
Love the story
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful account with amazing photos. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSteve and Cheryl, This is a fantastic story made even better with your narrations and photos...You did a wonderful job documenting the lives of these two bears that we have come to know and love. I hope you send a copy to Felicia so she can show Pepper when he gets older! ;). I'm glad we were part of it and even more glad we got to meet you both....Dominic and RonnieSue
ReplyDeleteSo nice to meet both of you, RonnieSue and Dominic! Hopefully our paths will cross again...Cheryl
DeleteGreat photos. Measured in human terms, there's a lot of drama in the natural world.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to have this accounting. We only got to photograph the first episodes. Looking forward to more good news in the months to come. We have come to love them for sure! I have shared it on FB.
ReplyDeleteAwesome photos! My boyfriend, Andy and I were blessed to meet Felicia and Pepper in August 2019, just outside the Grand Tetons National Park. They crossed the road right in front of our vehicle! It's a beautiful happy story and one that I will never forget. And you must feel so grateful to be part of their lives. Thanks for sharing. I love this.
ReplyDelete