Grizzly with 5 cubs caught on camera in Yellowstone

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (KKTV/Gray News) – A recent video out of Yellowstone National Park shows a grizzly bear with five cubs in tow.

Stan Mills operates a YouTube channel showcasing wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. On Wednesday, he captured the grizzlies on camera at the Specimen Ridge/Agate Creek trail junction.

Mills called it an “extremely rare encounter.” Park officials agree.

Park staff told KKTV that it’s unclear if all five of the cubs are from the same mom, or if the grizzly seen in the video may have adopted some of them.

“Five cubs in a litter are the most we have ever observed in the park, at least from 1959 to present (the period of the park’s history we have good records for),” Linda Veress with Yellowstone National Park wrote to KKTV. “In Yellowstone, the average litter size for grizzly bears is 2 cubs. Approximately 49% of cubs survive their first year.”

Visitors should be aware that all bears are potentially dangerous. Park regulations require that people stay at least 100 yards from bears, unless safely in your car as a bear moves by.

Copyright 2024 KKTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.