147 July 3, 2021 PERSONAL Photograph by Mike Fitz (please request Mike Fitz' permission to use this photo)
Adult Male
Year First Observed: 2020 Officially, but could it be 2015? (see below)
Year Last Observed: 2023
Known Offspring Of: Unknown at this time
Genetics Study Samples Obtained: Unknown at this time
Identification:[]
(Note: The following Identification and Distinctive Behaviors information that appears below came from Explore.org's Resident Naturalist, Mike Fitz during the July 13, 2021 play-by-play . Mike begins discussing 147 at approximately 11:19 into this Explore.org video of the July 13, 2021 play-by-play.)
Live Bear Broadcast Booth! - MIKE FITZ-Naomi Boak go Play by Play at Brooks Falls! July 13th, 2021-2
Mike Fitz discusses 147 at approximately 11:19 into this Explore video
147 is an adult male with a well filled in body. He has wide set ears. His right ear is a little bit shorter than his left ear.
147 appears to be eating well and carries a large amount of fat reserves from the 2020 season.
Distinctive Behaviors:[]
147 prefers fishing on the far side of the river. He is not often observed fishing on the platform side of the river. This may suggest that he is not habituated to the presence of people. This behavior could change as he gains more experience using Brooks River, but for some bears not even a lifetime of benign experiences with people is enough to change their behavior or for the bear to feel comfortable fishing in close proximity to people.
Life History:[]
2015 (147?): Adult Male Could This Be 147 Observed in 2015?[]
Could a bear observed during the 2015 season be 147?
Keep these things in mind:
- Bears must be observed a specific number of times (generally 3) during official bear monitoring sessions to be assigned a bear monitoring number
- It is not always possible for the NPS Bear Monitoring Staff to consistently identify bears spanning multiple years or even from spring/summer season to fall season within the same year
- NPS Bear Monitoring Staff changes from time to time, so bears may obtain different bear monitoring numbers in different years / groups of years
Some examples of the above circumstances can be seen in the NPS bear monitoring history of bears like 410 (also known as 014 & 175), 856 (also known as 888), and 868 Wayne Brother (aka 62).
With all of that in mind....could this be 147 that was observed during the 2015 season?
We were provided these NPS photos of a bear that was observed during the 2015 season.
(Note: At the time, the bear in the NPS photos below was believed to be 603. More was eventually learned about 603 and you can read about him on his bearcam wiki page. Also note a 2017 boar with a missing left ear sparked the conversations that led to the 2015 NPS photos being posted by Ranger Jeanne and Ranger Dave Kopshever.):
On August 4, 2017 at 08:10, Ranger Jeanne provided this NPS photo of the 2015 bear (603? 147? Who?). On August 4, 2017 at 17:43 Ranger Jeanne shared these additional NPS photos (#1 & #2) of the same bear observed during the 2015 season On September 5, 2017 at 10:46 Ranger Dave Kopshever shared these NPS photos (#1, #2 & #3) of the 2015 bear that was at the time believed to be 603...but is it the bear identified as 147 during the 2020 and 2021 seasons? The 3rd photo, may be the most convincing of the three NPS photos that Ranger Dave shared. Could the 1st and 2nd NPS photos of the bear observed during the 2015 season be 65? The bears never answer questions, so some of it we have to figure out over the years...
If the above 2015 NPS photos are of 147, then 147 was an adult male in 2015 also. Ranger Dave Kopshever's September 4, 2015 10:46 comment also provided this information about the 2015 bear (that was at the time believed to be 603).
"Male, first identified as an adult in 2015. Following are Leslie's photos from 2015."
2020: Adult Male, Year 1st Identified and Classified by KNP&P Bear Monitoring Staff[]
July 2020:[]
147 appears on the July 2020 list of bears monitored. He is not believed to have been seen on the cams in 2020.
2020 Season Official Bears Monitored List provided by Ranger Lian April 14, 2022 10:12 AKDT
2021: Adult Male[]
June 2021:[]
2021.06.28: JG's 6/28/2021 video of 147 at the falls.
147 - Explore.org June 28, 2021-2
Video by JG
2021.06.30: 147 is seen late in the evening on 6/30/2021 (not 7/1/2021), video by Ratna Narayan.
Unknown boar Explore.org 1-7-2021
Video by Ratna Narayan
JG's 6/30/2021 #1 video of 147.
147 - Explore.org June 30, 2021-2
Video by JG
JG's 6/30/2021 #2 video of 147.
147 - Explore.org June 30, 2021-3
Video by JG
July 2021:[]
2021.07.01: 147 by the fish ladder, 7/1/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2021.07.02: 147 July 2, 2020 NPS photo by T Carmack KNP&P Flickr.
147 July 2, 2020 NPS photo by T Carmack KNP&P Flickr
JG's 7/2/2021 video of 147 roaming the falls near the platform.
147 - Explore.org July 2, 2021-2
Video by JG
LunaCre's 7/2/2021 gif of 147, again by the fish ladder.
2021.07.03: Explore.org's Resident Naturalist and former KNP&P Ranger, Mike Fitz captured these photographs (#1 & #2) of 147 at Brooks Camp. Please request Mike Fitz' permission prior to using his photographs!
Cam viewer and Brooks Camp visitor NWBearLove92 shared three 7/3/2021 photos of 147, #1, #2 and #3. "Here are some photos of 147. They are not the best quality, but I thought you may want to use them for the Wiki. I was using a new camera/lens that did not perform well in low light. I changed back to my favorite camera once I realized my photos weren’t great. 7/3/21." Please request NWBearLove92's permission prior to using any of their photographs!
Ranger Naomi Boak's (aka NSBoak) 7/3/2021 photo of 147. Please request NSBoak's (aka Ranger Naomi Boak) permission prior to using her photographs!
.jpg "147 July 3, 2021 NPS photo by NSBoak (aka Ranger Naomi Boak).jpg (1.05 MB)")
2021.07.04: 147 searching for fish near the platform, 7/4/2021 video by JG with high and low cam views. 147 appeared at the falls again following his usual path, 7/4/2021 screenshots by mazey, #1 and #2.
2021.07.06: Could this be 147 at 01:23 am AKDT , 7/6/2021 screenshot by LunaCre?
2021.07.13: Mike Fitz introduced bear cam watchers to 147 during a play-by-play on 7/13/2021, video by Explore. Previously, we were not aware that this bear had been assigned an identification number. This link is queued to start at 11:18. Mike and Ranger Naomi's discussion can be heard from 11:18-14:16.147 could be seen fishing in the office. Paraphrasing Mike's comments "147 is a big male with distinctive ear shapes. His right ear is a little bit shorter than the other one, very wide set. He has a well filled in body and carries a lot of fat reserves from last year. I have not seen him come to this side of the waterfalls very often (suggests that he may not be habituated)."
Live Bear Broadcast Booth! - MIKE FITZ-Naomi Boak go Play by Play at Brooks Falls! July 13th, 2021
Video by Explore
Mckate captured 7/13/2021 video of 147 in the far pool. "Here's a new adult male that Mike Fitz mentioned tonight in the play-by-play. He was first identified last season and given the number 147. I don't recall him at all, but apparently he sticks to the far side of the river and tends to come out only after the falls platform is closed at night. You'll note that he has a short right ear, or maybe a wonky left one? I hope we'll see more of him."
13 Jul 2021- 147 in the Far Pool (explore.org)
Video by mckate
JG's 7/13/2021 video of 147 fishing in the far pool.
147 - Explore.org July 13, 2021-2
Video by JG
2021.07.16: LunaCre created this gif of 856 (near) and 147 (far) fishing at Brooks Falls.:
2022: Adult Male[]
147 was not observed on the bear cams in 2022.
July 2022:[]
147 does not appear on the list of Bears Monitored in July 2022.
September 2022:[]
147 does not appear on the list of Bears Monitored in September 2022.
2023: Adult Male[]
July 2023:[]
2023.07.08: 147 pops in in this video by mckate:
8 Jul 2023- 147 Pops In (explore.org)
video by mckate
2023.07.11: 147 and 807 size each other up in the video mckate captured:
11 Jul 2023- 147 and 807 Size Each Other Up (explore.org)
video by mckate
2023.07.14: 147 gets his close-up, mckate captured this video.:
14 Jul 2023- 147 Gets His Closeup (explore.org)
video by mckate
358 vs 147 video captured by LaBelleCorisande:
358 vs 147 (note candy cane stance!) 2023-07-14 11-30pm BF explore.org
video by LaBelleCorisande
2023.07.17: Vorticia created these gifs (#1 & #2) of 147 displacing 128 Grazer and then 147 going off the lip of the falls (p 11:54):
147 tries to fish the lip and slips in this video captured by mckate:
17 Jul 2023- 147 Tries Fishing Lip, Slips (explore.org)
video by mckate
147 gets right back on the lip in this video by mckate:
17 Jul 2023- 147 Gets Right Back on the Lip (explore.org)
video by mckate
How 147 Got His Nickname:[]
147 does not have any known official nicknames. KP&P bear monitoring staff has moved away from using nicknames and is encouraging the use of the bear's bear monitoring identification numbers.
Known Courting & Mating:[]
Add here
Known Relatives:[]
147 does not have any known relatives
Genetics Study Samples Obtained:[]
Add here