Way back in 2016, Bear 815, also known as the Obsidian Sow or Mini Mom, had three cubs in Yellowstone National Park. Tragedy struck this litter, with two cubs dying before adulthood.
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Of these three cubs, only one survived to forge its path in the wild in 2018. A year later, in 2019, Mini Mom gave birth to another litter of cubs, and this footage shows her relaxing with them in the open fields of the park.
While she relaxed, her two cubs danced around, locked in a fierce game that saw them wrestle across the open fields of the park. Their carefree games are proof of the safety they feel with their mom, safety that would last until it was time for them to head out alone into the world.
A Fierce Battle
Mini Mom seemed content to calmly graze on the abundant grass while her two cubs waged a fierce war against… everything. They fought against the ground, odd branches scattered around, their mother’s legs, but mostly with each other.
Full-grown bears are apex predators; their size, strength, and ferocity mean few animals would risk preying on them. For bear cubs, which haven’t grown to that deadly size, there are risks of being hunted.
Sometimes adult male bears kill cubs to mate with the mother; this is what happened with one of Mini Mom’s past cubs, or if they’re separated from their mother, they make an easy meal for predators like wolves.
Staying Safe With Mom
As long as the cubs stayed close to Mini Mom, they were safe. Every other animal in the park would think twice before risking her anger just for the sake of a quick meal.
Because of this proximity, they could play with wild abandon, wrestling each other down over and over again, kept completely safe from any threats by the presence of their mother.
Mini Mom maintained a constant watch, occasionally rearing up to her full height on her rear legs in order to see over further distances. There weren’t any immediate threats that required her attention, however, meaning she was free to relax and graze.
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A Vital Learning Experience
While Mini Mom was having a lazy day, her cubs were getting vital developmental experience. Like others in the animal kingdom, these bear cubs are building their strength and learning vital social skills for their future.
These games will help to give them a better chance in the wild once they’ve left Mini Mom’s safety net and have to fend for themselves. According to the National Park Service, bear cubs like these have a survival rate of only 55%, meaning one of these cubs didn’t make it.
Once bears like these make it to adulthood, their chances of survival go up to 95%, showing the significance of the pressures these two cubs will face as they grow up.