GB399 gives one of her cubs to her daughter, 610?
These famous Grand Teton bears just became more famous with the apparent movement of one of 399’s cubs to that of her grown daughter, 610; who already has two cubs of the year.
Grizzly Sows Apparently Swap A Cub In Grand Teton National Park. By Kurt Repanshe, National Parks Traveler.
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Update from the Jackson Hole News and Guide. Famous grizzly mother and daughter swap a cub. Little-seen adoption an example of animal altruism, expert says. By Cory Hatch.
Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He has been a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and also its President. For many years he produced Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of "Hiking Idaho." He also wrote "Beyond the Tetons" and "Backpacking Wyoming's Teton and Washakie Wilderness." He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
These bears just make me smile…….
^..^
This cub swap might be more common than we think. What is really surprising about this is that it underlines one more time how little we know about bears. I have seen a small apparently orphan black bear cub approach one of the dominant male black bears in the habitat. . while we watched we thought for sure the little cub would be killed and or eaten as that is what we have been told and taught by biologists. Instead the two bears rubbed noses and continued to eat side by side and eventually drifted off together. I also think that we have been led to believe that bears are solitary animals and that too is not necessarily true. A bears idea of hanging out with other bears may mean there is a mile or two between them. I hope we hear more about this cub swap.
Linda,
http://is.gd/gjC3H5