Reunion!
Then the little bear cub spotted her brother! Momma got up and saw him and was visibly relieved. He was more than a half mile away on the side of the next mountain anxiously pacing back and forth. The separation was weighing on them all. The little tike decided to take matters into his own hands and went back across the open valley and up the boulders on the back side of the mountain. Joining up with his sister and Mother meant swinging low on the ridge that the big boar was eyeing them from. We all watched with bated breath as the cub picked his way across the rocks just yards from the male bear who had been sleeping but now was up and calculating his chances. Could he swatch that cub and send it over the cliff and retreat before Momma bear did the same to him?
At last it was over. The cubs and Momma were reunited and the boar was beaten by Momma bear’s preparation, fierceness, and excellent defensive site selection. The big boar laid down again just to make things hard but everyone knew the real danger had passed. Momma could sleep while the cubs watched the old man and then they would move out after he did. No way he was coming up that mountain. It was almost midnight when this photo was taken, what a day.
Looking for Bro
The boar was swinging his massive head as he moved up the mountain saddle toward Momma Bear and the lone remaining cub. Momma Bear had chosen an impeccable defensive position; increasingly steep mountain, loose rock footing and vertical cliff faces as the elevation increased. She backed up the hill as the boar advanced and the cub was extremely anxious. As the mountain ridge reduced to knife edges the boar looked over the side and pushed some rocks to check for footing. No good; if he gets pushed he is going to fall over a hundred feet. He reluctantly turns back down the mountain to the saddle and lies down with a clear view of Momma Bear and baby. He’s going to wait them out.
Momma bear is exhausted from the adrenalin rush of the fight and she is stressed; she cannot find her other cub. The remaining cub is anxiously looking for her brother and his whereabouts are completely unknown. Momma bear cannot risk taking the remaining cub off the mountain top, the boar could catch them and the defensive position she holds is too valuable to the life of her remaining cub. She lies down exhausted; baby bear searches fruitlessly for her brother.
Ursus At Play
These two cubs duked it out for about two hours one late evening. They wrastled and rolled and bit and chewed enough to make us tired. They were some crazy bears and a ton of fun to watch. Got in a few clicks of course. Momma was over to the right taking a nap so these two squared off to kill some time. Good thing they were in shape too; the nasty business of life as a cub bear was soon to brought to full bore.