A Grizzly Bear Called "Raspberry".

I had the privilege to spend about an hour with a grizzly bear the locals and photographers call "Raspberry" in Yellowstone on June 28th.  She had two cubs of the year in tow.  The three of them fed in view of the East Entrance Road, their presence drew a number of visitors and photographers and caused traffic to slow to a crawl...

Bears, especially grizzly bears, often have names given to them, especially when they appear in the same areas repeatedly or are physically distinctive in some way.  I am not in favor of the practice of  anthropomorphizing wild, or even domestic, animals.  I will admit that identifying wildlife by name or number makes it much easier to share information with other folks when everyone knows exactly which animal is being discussed.

It is interesting and fun to watch as the cubs mimic every move the mother makes. Learning to find food and cross downed logs with ease...

  

 

 

Grizzlies and black bears are true omnivores willing to eat just about anything they come across including overwintered berries, winter-killed deer, elk, bison and moose. Green grasses and sedges, sweet-vetch roots, skunk cabbage roots, glacier lily bulbs and other starch-rich foods. They  grub for ants and beetle larvae in fallen logs. Huckleberries, blueberries and other berries as well as army cutworm moths and whitebark pine nuts provide high-energy food. They also wander widely looking for gut piles and wounded animals left by hunters...

 

 

 

 

Cubs are naturally inquisitive and often stand on their hind legs to get a better look at things...

 

 

The mother bear was very attentive, keeping a close eye on he cubs...

 

 

 

In addition to the grasses and insects that the cubs foraged, the mother allowed a little nursing time...

I will share more photos of these and other grizzly bears in the future. 

Be sure to stop back soon.