Watch the Sighting:
Wildlife videographer, Judy Lehmberg, captured this comical sighting while visiting Yellowstone Lake in early May. While many bears are coming out of hibernation around this time, it was no surprise to find a grizzly wandering around in a sleepy state.
Stepping Into a Frozen World
While Judy was on the lookout in Sedge Bay, she spotted a familiar face making her way across the melting ice. ‘Jam’ the bear is one of the beloved grizzlies tracked by the Yellowstone Bear Management team.
She seemed to be acting quite out of sorts, leading Judy to believe she had recently come out of hibernation. Although Jam was four years old at the time of the sighting, one never quite adjusts to the feeling of waking up after a long sleep.
Judy followed Jam as she walked close to the edge of the ice, testing its thickness. Suddenly but not surprisingly, Jam found a weak spot and fell through, earning a laugh from her spectators.
She quickly climbed back out of the lake and shook herself off, feeling a lot more alert than she had before!
Instincts Take Over in Search for Food
With a new-found shock of adrenaline, Jam was back to it! She galloped along the ice, seemingly searching for an exit point that didn’t involve a swim.
Everyone watched patiently for over three hours! During which Jam had made her way back and forth on the ice three times.
Just as everyone was starting to feel a bit worried for her, Jam made a final walk back, retracing her steps and ending up near Steamboat Point. Once back on land, she scavenged a snack, enjoying one of her first meals of the year.
The Challenges of Early Spring for Bears
Grizzlies typically emerge from hibernation between March and May depending on temperature, environment and individual factors such as age and gender. In the first few days after ‘waking up’, bears will be groggy, hungry and thirsty which can be reflected in their erratic behaviours.
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After months of not eating or drinking, bears must quickly find sources of food to regain their strength and transition back into an active lifestyle. Depending on the environment, food sources may still be limited in the earlier months of spring, so bears often eat whatever vegetation and scavenged winter kills they can find.
Another challenge upon waking up from hibernation is the dispute over territory that comes with competing over limited resources. Younger and weaker bears may struggle to defend their territory and thus struggle to secure enough food to survive.
Just like humans waking up from a deep sleep, grizzly bears need time to shake off the grogginess of hibernation. This sighting is a charming reminder that even the wildest creatures have clumsy moments—before instinct kicks in and the fight for survival begins.