{"id":24432,"date":"2023-02-08T14:38:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T13:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=24432"},"modified":"2023-02-13T10:17:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T09:17:26","slug":"cub-scout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/2023\/02\/08\/cub-scout\/","title":{"rendered":"Cub scout"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The brown bear mothers of coastal Alaska work hard to feed, teach and protect their young offspring <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

PHOTOS <\/strong>KATE AND ADAM RICE<\/p>\n\n

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One up <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

This lucky six-month-old cub\u2019s tolerant mother allowed him to ride on her back. \u201cWe think she\u2019s a first-time parent who developed a special bond with her offspring,\u201d says Kate and Adam Rice, who photographed these images in Alaska\u2019s Katmai National Park and Preserve \u2013 home to some 2,200 brown bears \u2013 over the bountiful summer months. <\/p>\n\n

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Mother\u2019s milk <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

There\u2019s no respite from suckling for a mum of twins \u2013 a typical litter size, though triplets aren\u2019t uncommon and quads not unheard of \u2013 feeding among the fireweed in August. They\u2019ll continue to demand milk for two or even three years after their birth in February, in mother\u2019s winter den. <\/p>\n\n

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Three\u2019s a crowd <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

This brown bear mother has her paws full with triplets, the father having left shortly after mating between May and July. As well as keeping an eye out for threats \u2013 mostly adult male bears and, occasionally, wolves \u2013 she must teach them to feed themselves and stay safe. <\/p>\n\n

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Paw patrol <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

A male and female brown bear graze sedge, a high-protein food source in coastal regions that\u2019s important in spring and early summer. He\u2019s watching for an opportunity to mate, after which implantation of the fertilised embryo is delayed till autumn when, if she\u2019s built up sufficient fat reserves, pregnancy proper will begin. <\/p>\n\n

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Burden of youth <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

That clingy cub won\u2019t relinquish his perch even while mother is fishing for sockeye salmon. While continuing to suckle, he\u2019ll pinch scraps of her meals, gradually learning to fish and feed himself over the following two or three years. Born blind, naked and only about half a kilo in weight, at six months old he\u2019s already perhaps 25kg. <\/p>\n\n

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Making a splash <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Surging through the shallows, this hungry bear targets sockeye salmon, which swim upstream to spawn in Alaskan rivers each summer. When salmon\u2019s not on the menu, omnivorous brown bears will eat grass, roots, berries, insects, reptiles and sometimes other mammals \u2013 even young moose or caribou (reindeer). <\/p>\n\n

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Seeing red <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

With their vivid red bodies and greenish heads, sockeye salmon \u2013 which can reach over 70cm long \u2013 are tantalising prey. Yet paddling through deep water to reach a dense shoal isn\u2019t the most effective way for even this strong-swimming bear to catch them. <\/p>\n\n

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Picky eater <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

When the salmon run is at its peak in high summer, food is so abundant that bears may devour only their favourite parts of the fish \u2013 brain, skin, eggs, even tails \u2013 discarding the carcasses on the riverbank. That\u2019s a boon for young bears yet to truly master fishing skills, who can hoover up the leftovers. <\/p>\n\n

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Mother knows best <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Having no siblings with whom to spar, this six-month-old cub must learn how to handle himself in a fight from his mother. After batting and nipping at her, she responds with a gentle tussle. Though brown bears aren\u2019t strictly territorial, adult males are protective of their space and mothers can be very aggressive. <\/p>\n\n

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Speaking without words <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

A nudge with the head is one way this cub reinforces the familial bond with his mother on the riverbank. Bears use body language as well as vocalisations to communicate; cubs whimper and cry to get mum\u2019s attention, while she\u2019ll make a popping noise to alert her offspring to potential threats. <\/p>\n\n

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Rough and tumble <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

A pair of first-year cubs pause during a play bout \u2013 an important part of their developmental process when they learn to fight. They\u2019ll also learn to forage and socialise, ready to deal with other bears at popular feeding grounds such as sedge meadows or rivers during salmon runs when they gather in large numbers, sometimes as many as ten or more in a 50m stretch of water. <\/p>\n\n

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Golden hour <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Having enjoyed a hearty breakfast of salmon, a female and her young cub climb up from the river onto the Alaskan tundra to find a patch of scrub where they can nap in peace and safety. That\u2019s typical of a brown bear\u2019s cyclical summer behaviour in Katmai: feast till full (a hungry bear can devour 30 fish in a day) then snooze while digesting the rich meal. <\/p>\n\n

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Shore thing <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Three young cubs, perhaps five months old, linger on a tidal flat while mother snatches salmon from a deeper creek nearby. She won\u2019t be far away, returning to her youngsters every few minutes in between fishing forays. It pays to stay alert: more than one-third of cubs may die in their first year of life. <\/p>\n\n

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Next steps <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

A big male ambles along the riverbank to his next fishing spot. Bears often follow the salmon run as it moves upstream to target the most dense masses of fish. He\u2019s not in a rush \u2013 though adults can reach 65kph in short bursts. Still, it pays to enjoy the bounty while you can. Soon enough, the arrival of autumn will signal time to retreat to a den, where bears slumber in winter torpor for six months or more before emerging the following spring to feed up once again. <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n
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ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS <\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

Kate and Adam Rice of KAR Photography are nature photographers based in the American West and Alaska, specialising in large mammals, birds and landscapes. See more of their work at karphotography.net<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

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