Two grizzly bear cubs were killed by adult female bears in separate incidents at Alaska's Katmai National Park within a span of days, events witnessed and streamed live by wildlife observers.
On July 28, an adult female bear killed and consumed a cub near a river in the park. Days later, on August 2, another cub died following an attack by a different adult female bear, confirmed by park staff.
Park rangers suggested that a particularly crowded summer season for bears at the park may have contributed to the aggressive behavior. "When we have over 30 cubs, in addition to the 60 to 80 regular bears that come to the falls every year, that’s a lot of bears on the river," said park ranger Sarah Bruce. "They could be stressed because of just the sheer number of bears that are on the river."
In the July incident, an adult female bear charged at another bear's cub while her own cubs were nearby. Later, she was observed consuming the cub's remains.
The second incident involved three cubs belonging to one mother bear. One of these cubs reportedly climbed a tree, followed by a cub belonging to another bear, identified as bear 355. The mother of the first three cubs then attacked bear 355's cub, pulling it from the tree and causing fatal injuries.
Park staff located the carcass of the second cub on Monday morning and removed it from the immediate area. This action was taken to minimize the risk of dangerous encounters for both humans and other bears. "Dead bears along the river pose harm to not only humans in the area, but also the other bears, and it can just create really sticky situations," Bruce explained. "So, the dead bears are relocated to other areas in the park where nature can sort of take its course and all of the energy and the nutrients that that bear has go feed back into the ecosystem."
Bear 355, described as approximately six years old and raising her first litter, has been seen with her two remaining cubs. Staff noted that she has been observed appearing distressed and searching for her deceased cub.
The National Park Service generally does not intervene in cases of animal illness, injury, or death, adhering to a policy of allowing natural processes to occur. Bruce encouraged viewers who feel distressed by these events to channel their energy into positive actions within their local communities.