Adult Female
Year First Identified: 2009 as a subadult
Year Last Observed: 2023
Offspring Of: Not known at this time
Known Litters of Cubs: 3 (2014, 2016 & 2019)
Genetics Study Samples Obtained: There were no darting attempts of 171 by Ranger Michael Saxton for the genetics study in 2016 or 2017.
Identification:[]
2015 - 2018 Bears of Brooks River books: 171 is a medium-sized female with somewhat triangular shaped ears, a “smiling” gape, and a prominent brow ridge. In July, her coat is dark blond. In fall, her coat is more brown and grizzled. Her legs are typically darker than her back and face.
Distinctive Behaviors:[]
2015 - 2018 Bears of Brooks River books: This bear has been seen using Brooks River every fall since 2009, but she only sporadically uses the river in July. She seems tolerant of people on wildlife viewing platforms, yet she appears to avoid people in other locations. #171 often avoids other bears and isn’t tolerant of their approach.
Life History:[]
2009: Subadult[]
171 was initially classified as a subadult in Fall of 2009.
2010:[]
Subadult 171 was observed using the Brooks River in Fall of 2010. On October 7, 2017 Ranger Jeanne shared these three 2010 photos of 171 when she was a subadult. Ranger Jeanne also shared her thoughts about the similar features of 171 and 610, suspected to be one of 171's cubs from her 2014 litter: "One of the striking similarities between 610 and 171 is the fur pattern around their eyes. Here are some 2010 photos of 171, when she was classified as a sub." Photo #1 , Photo #2 , and Photo #3
September 2010:[]
2010.09.08: Ranger Jeanette Meleen's photo of 171.
2011:[]
July 2011:[]
video (171's identification confirmed by Mike Fitz on January 30, 2017 ): 2011.07.12: Park visitor Mark Nicholas captures 171 at 0:25 into this []
2012:[]
171 was observed using the Brooks River in Fall of 2012.
July 2012:[]
2012.07.??: Park visitor, Walter Blaser, captured 171 at 20:32 into this video :
September 2012:[]
2012.09.12: Park visitor ARIAS NISC's 9/12/2012 photo of 171.
2013: Single Adult Female[]
171 was observed using the Brooks River in Fall of 2013.
2014: with 2 Tiny Spring Cubs, 1st Known Litter, Lost 1 (Darker, Smaller)[]
2014 Season: []
Park visitor and cam viewer, Donna T. Bennett (aka DTB and DtotheTtotheB), documented her observations of the 171 family group from July of 2014 to October 2014 in her flickr album . Anna-Marie captured this video of 171 and her remaining spring cub (610?) during her time at Brooks Camp.
2014 Season and after:[]
Deanna Dittloff (aka deelynnd) created this video of 610 that begins when she was a spring cub with 171 (speculated). Footage of 171 with her believed offspring, 610 can be seen in the beginning of this video.:
July 2014:[]
In July 2014, 171 returned to Brooks River with two small spring cubs. While both cubs appeared small for spring cubs at the time of season they were first observed in 2014, one of 171's two spring cubs lighter and larger than the other, and the other spring cub was even smaller but much darker than their littermate. When 171 was initially observed in July 2014, her identification was not immediately certain. There was a period of time when it was considered that she could possibly be 608 . After further research, comparison to prior season bear monitoring photos, and consultation with bear monitoring staff, her identification was determined to be 171, not 608. 171 didn't attract much attention from bear watchers until she returned with cubs in 2014 even though 171 was a frequent user of the Brooks River for many prior years.
2014.07.15: 171 with her two spring cubs video by Various Videos 1:
2014.07.17:
171 with her two spring cubs on gravel bar near lagoon heading to closed trail gif by Juergen.
171 with her two spring cubs near closed trail gif by Juergen:
15:28: Ranger Mike observed 171 and her two spring cubs and shared these photos that he just took: Photo #1 and Photo #2 :
On the evening of July 17, 2018 171 and her 2 spring cubs treed themselves near the grassy knoll in the lower river area video by JBGrace:
2014.07.18: 171 and her 2 tiny spring cubs:
2014.07.19: Ranger Jeanne's photos of 171 with two spring cubs: Photo #1 , Photo #2 , Photo #3 , Photo #4 , Photo #5 , Photo #6 , Photo #7 (171 only), Photo #8 , Photo #9 , and Photo #10 .
July 2014 - August 2014:[]
We don't know the exact date that 171 was separated from her smaller, darker spring cub. We do know that the family group of 171 with both spring cubs was seen on July 19, 2014 by Ranger Jeanne. We also know that the unaccompanied dark spring cub, that resembled 171's missing dark cub, was seen on August 27, 2014.
On February 15, 2018 Goldilocks shared her memory of watching 171 and the smaller, darker spring cub becoming separated:
We are trying to narrow this date down by locating other photos, snapshots, and videos of the 171 family group and 2014 unaccompanied dark spring cub from between July 19, 2014 and August 27, 2014. If we can narrow down a date, it is possible that we can find footage of the separation that Goldilocks witnessed on the lower river live cam.
August 2014 or PRIOR:[]
2014.08.17 or Prior: 171 with 2 spring cub video by Magical Adventures (published August 17, 2014):
2014.08.27 or PRIOR: 171 with 2 spring cubs video by Jim Sawyer: 171 and her two very tiny spring cubs can be seen at the 0:40 mark into Jim's video:
August 2014:[]
2014.08.12 (Published date): 171 with 2 spring cubs and 435 Holly and her spring cub (now 719) video by Various Videos 1. Ranger Roy Wood and Ranger Mike Fitz were doing a play-by-play during this footage, so turn your sound up. You will even learn things like the locations of the gravel bar and the point, along with the distance between the corner and point.:
2014.08.27:
On August 27, 2014 a lone dark spring cub was observed. 171 had also recently lost a dark spring cub. There is speculation that the lone dark spring cub that was observed could possibly be 171's missing spring cub as the larger, lighter spring cub remained with 171 after the lone dark spring cub was observed.
Cam viewer Janie Nook captured this video of 879 and the lone dark spring cub. The lone dark cub had been seen looking for fish on the gravel bar near the point. Then Bear 879 gets up from his nap and moves into the river. The lone cub scurries off into the woods.
2014.08.28:
Juanita Roper (aka BirdyGirly) captured these videos of the lone dark spring cub:
Video #1 : Shortly after approximately 11:00 AK time, "Lone Spring Cub" visits lower river, looking healthy and moving at a fair clip, stopping to grab a quick meal, then dashes off. (Please note: This is not 503 Cubadult, 402's abandoned yearling that was later adopted by 435 Holly.)
Video #2 : At approximately noon, the lone Spring Cub pops up from the tall grass, trots around and is seen wrangling a nice big salmon, looking for a place to settle down and eat peacefully (no bigger bears to steal his food and hiding from Alice - the name we give all the cheeky gulls).
Janie Nook (aka Janie Pooh) captured this video of the unaccompanied dark spring cub at around noon on August 28, 2014:
JoeBear captured these videos of the lone dark spring cub on August 28, 2014:
Video #1 :
Video #2 :
2014.08.31: JoeBear captured this video of the lone dark spring cub:
September 2014:[]
2014.09.??: Octavio Garduno captured 3 videos of 171 and her remaining spring cub in September, 2014.
2014.09.07: Ranger Jeanne's photos of 171 with her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub: Photo #1 , and Photo #2 ,
2014.09.09:
171 leaves her remaining spring cub (610?) on a small sand bar to forage nearby. An idyllic time, the cub finds some little snacks to occupy it. The close-ups of the spring cub in the first 6 minutes of the video are a must see, but the action starts at about the 6 minute mark into the video. Suddenly, the cub is startled and runs back to shore. 171 turns back to check on the cub and panics when she cannot see the cub, hidden in the tall grass. 171 bounds across the water, soon finding the cub, but remains protectively wary of surrounding, seemingly ready to mete out punishment to whatever culprit scared her precious cub!...video by JBirdyHome:
171's remaining spring cub (larger, lighter):
2014.09.13:
Ranger Jeanne's photos of 171 with her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub. Photo #1 (171 only), Photo #2 , Photo #3 , Photo #4 , Photo #5 , Photo #6 , Photo #7 , Photo #8 , Photo #9 , Photo #10 , Photo #11 , Photo #12 (171 only), Photo #13 , Photo #14 (171 only), Photo #15 , Photo #16 , PPhoto #17 , and Photo #18 .
DTB captured this video of 171 and her remaining spring cub on the spit with 89 Backpack:
2014.09.16: 171 and her remaining spring cub (610?) with 435 Holly. her spring cub (719) and her adopted yearling (503 Cubadult) video by JoeBear:
2014.09.19-09.25: Brooks Camp visitor Laszlo Molnar captured video of 171 with her remaining spring cub (speculated to be 610) on their 9/19-9/25/2014 trip.
2014.09.21: JoeBear captured this video of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub:
2014.09.22: Park visitor, Sue Petterson, captured these photos of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub. Photo #1 , Photo #2 , Photo #3 , and Photo #4 .
2014.09.27: Lolaboo two2 captured this video of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub:
2014.09.28:
Ranger Jeanne's photos of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub: Photo #1 , Photo #2 , Photo #3 (remaining spring cub only), Photo #4 (remaining spring cub only), and Photo #5 (171 nursing her cub).
DTB captured this video of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub:
JoeBear captured this video of 171 making a belly hole and then nursing her remaining spring cub (610?):
JoeBear captured this video of 171 and her remaining spring cub (610?):
October 2014:[]
2014.10.05: Ranger Jeanne's photos of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub: Photo #1 (171 only), and Photo #2 .
2014.10.07: JoeBear captured this video of 500 Indy meeting 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub on Spit Road:
2014.10.10: PhotoBearsBry's gif of 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub:
2014.10.11: 171's remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub inspect the NPS barge in this video by JoeBear:
VIP (volunteer in park) and cam viewer, Anna-Marie Gantt captured this video of 171 and her remaining spring cub walking past the lower river platform.
2014.10.20: 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub video by JoeBear:
171 and her remaining spring cub video by Victoria White:
2014.10.22 11:04: 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub video by MsDebbiB:
2014.10.24: 171 and her remaining (larger, lighter) spring cub (610?) video by DTB:
When 171 was last seen in the fall, she only had one cub. This was #171’s first documented litter. No one knows why this bear’s cub disappeared, but it is not uncommon for bear cubs to die from a myriad of circumstances.
2015: Single Adult Female (see 2015 Subadult 610 )[]
171 was originally included in the 2015 Bears of Brooks River book on page 31.
In 2015, no cubs remained from 171's 2014 litter. However, in 2015 there was a small subadult, 610 , that strongly resembled 171's remaining 2014 larger, lighter spring cub. Some cam viewers speculate that 610 is the 2015 abandoned yearling of 171, and the 2015 bear monitoring records reflect that park staff also share in that speculation .
July 2015:[]
2015.07.11: A single adult female was observed in front of the Brooks Falls Wildlife Viewing Platform by cam viewers. She resembled 171 without her remaining yearling. Ranger Jeanne commented and shared that Ranger Mike thought this sow might be 171. Cam viewers captured these snapshots of the single adult female: LuvNature , BTWW , Frogson #1 , Frogson #2 , MargieS , Kristina , Ripple #2 , and TipperWA .:
2015.07.22: Single female 171 photo by Mike Fitz.
September 2015:[]
2015.09.20: 171 photo by Mike Fitz.
2015.09.23: Ranger Mike pans to and discusses 171 at approximately 35:00 into this September 23, 2015 play-by-play . Ranger Mike also pans back to 171 at approximately 46:48 into the video and provides an up close view of 171 with additional information about her.
171 gif by Juergen. 171 is the bear 1st observed on the spit. 410 is the bear that approaches the gravel bar from Naknek Lake.
2015.09.27: 171 video by Mickey Williams:
October 2015:[]
2015.10.02: 171 video by Victoria White:
2016: 3 Spring Cubs, 2nd Known Litter[]
171 was included in the 2016 Bears of Brooks River book on page 38:
July 2016:[]
In July 2016, #171 again returned to Brooks River, this time with three spring cubs in tow. She was most often observed fishing along the cut bank with her cubs treed on shore. Unlike some other bears, #171 was not seen consistently throughout the summer or fall. Little is known about the movements of wild brown bears, and we see only a glimpse of their lives while they fish the Brooks River. Research projects like the Brown Bear Genetics Study and the Changing Tides Project aim to tell us more about the lives and movements of bears like #171.
2016.07.09:
12:2?: Mickey Williams captured this video of 171 and her 3 spring cubs (Part 1):
12:3?: Mickey Williams captured this video of 171 and her 3 spring cubs (Part 3):
12:4?: Mickey Williams captured this video of 171 and her 3 spring cubs (Part 4):
Martina's snapshots of 171 with 3 spring cubs: Snapshot #1 and Snapshot #2
Martina also captured this video of the 171 family group:
Erum Chad (aka Erie) captured this video of the 171 family group:
Ratna captured this video of 171 and her 3 spring cubs:
Cam viewer and park visitor grandmaj captured 7/9/2016 photos that she shared in chat on 5/10/2020, #1 and #2.
Please request grandmaj's permission prior to using her photographs!
2016.07.18 or Prior: A park visitor captured this video at Brooks Camp. 171 and her 3 spring cubs can be seen at the 1:11 mark.:
2016.07.19 or Prior: Park visitor, procheer2010, captured this video of 171 and her three spring cubs:
October 2016:[]
2016.10:01-10:31: (PLEASE NOTE: 171 was not observed in October of 2016. 153 was observed in fall of 2016 with 3 spring cubs, but was mis-identified at that time as 171. It was later determined that 39 and 153 are the same bear.):[]
171 was believed to have been seen in the fall of 2016 with many videos identifying her as such. Those videos are actually 39. In 2017 Rangers stated that the sow thought to be 171 in the fall of 2016 was actually 153 with 3 spring cubs. When the 2018 Bear book was released, sow 153 was re-identified as sow 39. "Previously, this bear was mis-numbered as bear 153.They are now thought to be the same bear."[]
2017: 3 Yearlings, Lost 1 Soon After[]
171 was included in the 2017 Bears of Brooks River book on page 42:
Summer 2017:[]
2017 Season:[]
Deanna Dittloff (aka deelynnd) created this 2017 season video of bear family groups. 171 and her cubs appear at the 20:42 mark.:
Cam viewer, Cruiser captured these snapshots (#1 & #2 ) of 171 and her 2 remaining yearlings during the 2017 season:
171 and her 2 yearlings can be seen in this 2017 video by Karen Hanson from 4:20-4:40. Click the blue box to watch on Vimeo.
July 2017:[]
171 initially returned to the Brooks River with all three yearlings from her 2016 litter, but was soon after seen with only two remaining yearlings. Both of these remaining yearlings were very small, and often treed themselves in the presence of other bears.
2017.07.??: 171 with her two remaining yearlings video by Amalia Garduno (Mocha):
2017.07.??: Park visitor and cam viewer, bearskibear shared these photographs (#1 & #2 ) of 171 with her 2 remaining yearlings taken by someone in bearskibear's travel group. The 1st photo was the first bear jam that their group experienced during their trip.
2017.07.?? (Mid July around the 23rd): Park visitor and cam viewer, JstDucky captured this photo of 171 and her two remaining yearlings during her visit to Brooks Camp.
Please request jstducky's permission prior to using her photographs!
2017.07.??: Cam viewer and Brooks Camp visitor Cheekyjoy shared 2 photos of a sow with 2 yearlings on 2/27/2021, #1 and #2. "Good Morning, Bear Lovers! Here are a couple shots of (unknown) bear and 2 cutie cubs, taken in July 2017, right by Brooks Lodge. I'd sure like to know who she is . . ."Mike Fitz provided the identification of 171. "Sure looks like 171 to me, which also seems to be the consensus among people who've already weighed in." Cheekyjoy shared two additional July 2017 photos of 171 and her yearlings on 3/2/2023, #1 and #2.
Please request Cheekyjoy's permission prior to using their photographs!
2017.07.10:
171 and her two remaining yearlings video by Melissa Freels:
171 and her two remaining yearlings video by Brenda D. Note: Video unavailable as of 2021. Thumbnail left for context.
2017.07.23: Park visitor and cam viewer, Scammin , captured these photos of 171 and her two remaining yearlings: Photo #1 , Photo #2 , Photo #3 , Photo #4 , Photo #5 , and Photo #6 . Scammin also shared this July 23, 2017 photo of 171 and her two remaining yearlings. Scammin also shared this information about 171.:
"From what I remember she looked so distinctive when I saw her compared to the other sows. Maybe it was because the three days I was there it was so sunny and her coat seemed to shine."
Please request Scammin's permission prior to using their photographs!
2017.07.26-07.28: Spotted Dog Media (Karen Hanson) captured 9 photos of 171 and her 2 yearlings on 7/26/2017. Photos #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9. An additional photo of 171 and her 2 yearlings was captured on 7/28/2017.
2017.07.29: Martina captured this video of 171 and her two remaining yearlings:
Flyer 7474 (aka SteveCA) captured this video of 171 and her two remaining yearlings:
August 2017:[]
2017.08.05: Flyer 7474 captured 8/5/2017 video of 171 and her 2 yearlings on the lower river.
2017.08.06: 171 and 2 remaining yearlings exploring the boats and NPS barge video by Melissa Freels:
September 2017:[]
2017.09.??: Brian Lashchuk captured September 2017 video of 171 and 409 Beadnose each with a set of 2 yearlings. 171 is seen first and runs off when 409 Beadnose and her cubs arrive. Note the size difference between the 2 sets of cubs. 171 is a small sow and her cubs are much smaller than 409's cubs. 409's yearlings are now adult sows 909 and 910. 909 is the lighter of the two.
2017.09.11: Cam viewer, Bookmom shared these snapshots of 171 and her 2 remaining yearlings (#1 , #2 , #3 , #4 , #5 & #6 ).:
171 with her 2 remaining yearlings video by Flyer 7474 (aka SteveCA):
2017.09.13 or Prior: Explore Bears & Bison Highlights video of 171 and 2 remaining yearlings. Published September 13, 2017:
2017.09.14: Park visitor and cam viewer, Lee (aka RiverPA), captured these photos of the 171 family group: Photo #1 171 with both remaining yearlings, Photo #2 171 with 1 of 2 remaining yearlings, and Photo #3 171 only:
Please request Lee (aka RiverPA)'s permission prior to using their photos!
2017.09.15: Park visitor and cam viewer, Lee (aka RiverPA), captured these photos of the 171 family group. Photo #1 one of two remaining yearlings, Photo #2 one of two remaining yearlings, and Photo #3 one of two remaining yearlings:
Please request Lee (aka RiverPA)'s permission prior to using their photos!
2017.09.18: 171 with her 2 remaining yearlings near the floating bridge video by Birgitt:
2018: Single Adult Female[]
171 was included in the 2018 Bears of Brooks River book on page 43:
2018 Season:[]
Cam viewer, JG captured these snapshots of 171 during the 2018 season (#1 , #2 , #3 , #4 , #5 , #6 , #7 , #8 , #9 , #10 , #11 , #12 & #13 .):
July 2018:[]
2018.07.??: Park visitor, Mike Weagley captured this July 2018 video that includes: 171 sitting on the log at 0:41, .151 Walker at 0:55, 854 Divot at 1:02, and 504 at 2:02. We are uncertain of the ID of the sow in the beginning of this video.:
2018.07.??: Katmai National Park and Preserve Facebook shared this July, 2018 R. Taylor photo of 171 on 6/4/2020.
2018.07.??: Park visitor Theresa Bielawski captured nine July 208 photos of 171, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 and #9.
Please request Theresa Bielawski's permission prior to using her photographs!
2018.07.05: NWBearLove92 shared 7/5/2019 photos of 171 on 5/5/2020, #1, #2, #3 and #4. NWBearLove92 shared 7/5/2018 photos of 171 on 5/10/2020, #1 and #2.
Please request NWBearLove92's permission prior to using any of their photographs!
2018.07.06: Truman Everts shared this 7/6/2018 photo of 171 on 5/7/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
2018:07:09: 171 was seen and identified during a Mike Fitz and Ranger Russ Taylor Play by Play on 7/9/2018 at 25:22.
171 sits on 89 Backpack's rock in this 7/9/2018 video by Lani H.
2018.07.09: Alla Gill's 7/9/2018 photo of 171.
2018.07.??: Costel Necula filmed a very thin 171 at Brooks Falls in July 2018. Note: This video has been removed by Mr Necula. Thumbnail will be left in place.
2018.07.12: Dennis Ryan's 7/12/2018 photo of 171.
2018.07.13: 171 is seen eating at "Alice's restaurant", 7/13/2018 video by Lani H.
2018.07.20 or PRIOR: 171 can be seen having a contact interaction with another bear toward the end of this video by Anita Pava at 7:54 by the island.
2018.07.23: This is a very interesting video by Lani H on 7/23/2018. At 1:18, 171 is on the left, 503 is in the middle and 409 Beadnose on the right bluff charges 503. At 1:39, 171 and 409 Beadnose appear to greet each other.
September 2018:[]
2018.09.22: Footage of 171 is part of this Explore Recorder video : 171 is seen at 3:52.
171 on the lower river, 9/22/2018 video by Lani H.
2018.09.23: 171 near the point and the corner, 9/23/2018 video by Lani H.
2018.09.25: 610 and another subadult on the spit with 132 and her spring cub plus 171, 9/25/2018 video by Lani H. 610 is near and the subadult is far in the beginning of the video. At 1:06, 132 and her yearling cub can be seen on the right of the screen with 610 to the left. At 1:31, 171 is viewed sitting on the right.
2018.09.28: 171 video by Birgitt:
94 bluff charges 171, 9/28/2018 video by Lani H.
Lani H captured a good close-up video of 171 at the lower river bridge gate on 9/28/2018.
2018.09.29: 171 on the spit video by Erum Chad (aka Erie):
2019: Adult Female with 2 Spring Cubs one was a Male, 3rd Known Litter, Lost 1 Spring Cub[]
171 returned to the Brooks River with her 3rd known litter, 2 spring cubs.
2019 Season:[]
Deanna Dittloff (aka deelynnd) created this 2019 season video of 171 and her 2 spring cubs .
One of 171's spring cubs is/was a male. It is not known which spring cub 171 lost, so the sex of the remaining cub is not determined. Mazey's October 16, 2019 11:23 comment .:
GreenRiver shared these 2019 season art snapshots of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 5/10/2020, #1 and #2. CarolineB shared these 2019 season snapshots of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 5/10/2020, #1, #2 and#3.
2019.??.??: Terry Chick's 2019 photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs.
2019.??.??: Jen Hall's 2019 photo of 171with 1 spring cub, exact date unknown.
June 2019:[]
2019.06.26-06.27: Park visitor David Hunter captured 2 photos of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 6/26/19 and 6/27/19.
2019.06.27: On 6/27/2019, Katmai Conservancy Ranger Naomi Boak stopped in chat to announce the arrival of 171 with 2 spring cubs and shared 3 photos, #1, #2 and #3. Ranger Naomi's comment which also included news regarding other bears: "Greetings from Brooks Falls. I know people are very excited to see pictures that are not on the cams. I wish I were able to watch the cams more! I had wonderful ranger duties yesterday at the Falls and on the bridge. So many bears are here now. I understand from Mike Fitz that 89 (the bear that got me addicted to these cams) and 503 are here! Be still my heart. But you probably already know this.
Below are some pictures I took by the bridge on the lower river. Three yearlings -- not sure who the mother is because there are three sows with three cubs here this year. And, our first sow with spring cubs, cubs of the year. The sow is 171. Confirmed by Mike Fitz. NSBoak shared a 6/27/2019 photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 3/1/2023.
Permission to use her NPS photos posted on the bearcam comments
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs, 1 of which is riding on her back on June 27, 2019 at 15:53 (p 09/27/19 21:13). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs, 1 of which is riding on her back on June 27, 2019 at 15:54 (p 09/07/19 07.41). TTruman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs, 1 of which is riding on her back on June 27, 2019 at 15:59 (p 11/11/19 09:40). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on June 27, 2019 at 15:59 (p 11/13/19 04.49).
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
2019.06.29: Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs tucked underneath of her belly on June 29, 2019 at 12:44. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs at a bend in the Brooks River on June 29, 2019 at 14:30.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Cam viewers had their first look at the 171 family on 6/29/2019 as they are seen in the oxbow area, video by Birgitt.
171 and her 2 spring cubs were observed again on 6/29/2019 moving through the tall grass on the lower river, video by Lani H.
2019.06.30: Melissa Freels captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs. Melissa Freels captured a 2nd photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 6/30/2019.
Please request Melissa Freels' permission prior to using her photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:48 (p 11/21/19 04:50). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:48 (p 08/31/19 13:10). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's larger spring cub on a log on June 30, 2019 at 11:48 (p 08/10/19 17.46). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs trying to follow 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:48. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's two spring cubs as they wind up for mini-battle #6734 on June 30, 2019 at 11:48. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 5/5/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:49. TTruman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on June 30, 2019 at 11:49; Truman shared this information about this photo..."That is a little face full of determination: Mum (171) is moving west towards Closed Trail, and this tiny spring cub has to take 5 or 6 quick little steps, per Mom step, to try to keep up with her." Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cubs as it hustles to keep up with mom on June 30, 2019 at 11:49. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub standing in very shallow water on June 30, 2019 at 11:49. Truman Everts captured these two photographs (#1 & #2 ) of the 171's on June 30, 2019 at 11:49 (p 08/31/19 09.29). Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 1 of 171's 2 spring cubs. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171's 2 spring cubs on 5/10/2020. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 1 of 171's 2 spring cubs on 5/18/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub being overly aggressive with the larger of the 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:50. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on June 30, 2019 at 11:50; Truman shared this information about this photo..."171 spring cub nervously standing before Mum's judgement. The cub had been kind of rough on his/her sibling and 171 was seemingly unhappy (I posted a very similar pic, with sow's nose in it a while back...I think it got painted) about it. A moment later Mum swatted this tiny cub...and tomorrow I'll post a pic of the cub's expression, after being chastised." Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub with part of 171's muzzle in view on June 30, 2019 at 11:50. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on June 30, 2019 at 11:50; Truman shared this information about this photo..." Shortly after we see 171's adorable little spring cub, standing, anticipating a bit of punishment from Mum (which did indeed come, in the form of a big paw swipe to that little face) there's this: A dear snapshot that could be interpreted 10 different ways...IF one didn't know that Mum had just swatted that face." Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub just trying to stay near mom on June 30, 2019 at 11:50.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of one of 171's spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:51. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:51. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub...tiny but expressive face on June 30, 2019 at 11:51. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171's smallest spring cub on 5/22/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:53. Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:53. Truman Everts again captured 171 in this June 30, 2019 11:53 photograph Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:53 (p 07/12/19 13:10). Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171 standing on 5/10/2020. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 art photo of 171 on 5/10/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:54. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on June 30, 2019 at 11:56. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:56. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 11:57. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 at 11:59; Truman shared the following information about this photograph: "Brooks Camp - You Are There, Part 151: It's always pays to look carefully...a bear can appear anywhere...Brooks is their backyard...Ninety percent chance that that big lower canine belongs to 171." Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171 with 1 of her 2 spring cubs on 5/19/2020. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 1 of 171's 2 spring cubs on 5/20/2020. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of one of 171's spring cubs on 6/3/2020. "I really treasure my snapshots in which a cub's little natal collar can be clearly seen...thus, this close up of a 171 spring cub, last June, really makes me smile..."
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with leading her 2 spring cubs through Brooks Camp. Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171 leading her 2 spring cubs through Brooks Camp on June 30, 2019 at 13:42. This Truman Everts' 2019 Brooks Camp experience became his 1st 2019 "Brooks Camp ~ You are there" segment...
"Brooks Camp - You Are There, Part 94 First "You Are There" in a year! Usually when bears suddenly appear right in the middle of camp, visitors are caught flatfooted,and it happens so fast that it's hard to get a good photo. This time, however, I'd been in the lower river area, and saw her leading her cubs toward camp...thus, I was actually ready when they stepped through the cabins"
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Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 nursing her 2 spring cubs on June 30, 2019 at 14:55. Truman Everts shared this 6/30/2019 photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs nursing on 5/9/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
The 171 family was seen walking along the closed trail with the lower river platform in the background on 6/30/2019, video by flyer 7474.
171 and her 2 spring cubs were also seen the same day walking in the oxbow area, 6/30/2019 video by Ratna Narayan.
171 and her 2 spring cubs sensing danger 6/30/2019 video by Cruiser.
Cruiser shared this 6/30/2019 GIF of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 5/10/2020.
In this June video by Marvin Neitzert it was stated that the visit to Brooks Camp was in late June. 171 is observed walking along the lower river with her 2 spring cubs, 13:37-14:27.
June 2019 or July 2019 (prior to July 20th or 21st):[]
2019.06.?? or 2019.07.??: 171 with her 2 spring cubs can be seen in this video by Jason.:
2019.06.?? - 2019.07.??: Devon Holmberg (aka born2flyalaska) videos of 171 with 2 spring cubs: #1 , #2 , #3 & #4
July 2019:[]
2019.07.??: Carl Ramm's July 2019 blogspot, "Brooks Camp Field Report, July 2019: The Summer of 171." Published January 19, 2023. [1]
Brooks Camp Bear Tech Carl Ramm details the trials and tribulations of dealing with 171 and her 2 spring cubs.
2019.07.??: Kara Stenberg captured this photograph of 171 nursing her spring cubs that was shared in the Brooks Lodge January 16, 2020 09:42 Facebook post . The Katmai Air passengers are more than 100 yards away from the family group:
Please request Kara Stenberg's permission prior to using her photographs!
2019.07.??: In a July 2019 video by Tomasz J. Kierkowicz, 171 and her 2 cubs are seen on the closed path at 0:08-0:23 and 1:02-1:08.
2019.07.??: Brooks Camp visitor Theresa Bielawski captured two photos of 171, photo #1 with 1 of 2 spring cubs and photo #2 with 2 spring cubs. Theresa noted that 171 had both cubs when she observed her.
Please request Theresa Bielawski's permission prior to using her photographs!
2019.07.01: Video by Kara Stenberg. Sow 171 treed her cubs outside of employee housing in Brooks Camp due to a sub-adult bear following her. This was in the evening and employees were coming home from work. I paused videoing for a minute to yell to people to go around the long way so as to avoid her, which they did, but she did go to investigate. After, she seemed much more calm not seeing the other bear, so she called her cubs back down and wandered off. Just a couple minutes later, though, the other bear walked by, following her again. It's a young bear and probably not much of a threat to her cubs, but a mother can never be too safe, which is why mother bears will tree their cubs fairly often, both to get them away from danger and also to wrangle them into a single spot so the mom can get some "work done" like fishing. You can hear 171 huffing and jaw popping in the video. The subadult appeared to be 901.
Truman Everts shared this 7/1/2019 photo of 171 and her 2 spring cubs near Naknek Lake on 4/15/2020.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
Ratna Narayan captured an interesting video of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 7/1/2019. The family is seen at the closed trail then travel over to the oxbow. The cubs sit on the bank as 171 travels through the water. One cub follows a short way and retreats to the bank. 171 continues fishing successfully as the cubs are hidden in the tall grass. 171 is known to hide or stash her cubs when fishing.
2019.07.02: Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub standing on July 2, 2019 at 08:35. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 10:34. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 10:41. Truman Everts shared this 7/2/2019 photo of a 171 spring cub on 4/7/2020.
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Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:27. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on July 2, 2019 at 22:28. Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on July 2, 2019 at 22:28. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub on July 2, 2019 at 22:29. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's smallest spring cub scratching it's ear on July 2, 2019 at 22:29 (p 09/04/19 18:50). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:29 (p 08/29/19 11:23). Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:29 (p 08/23/19 16:15). Truman Everts shared this 7/2/2019 photo of 1 of 171's 2 spring cubs. "Spring cub reacts to a close whiff of the doody in front of her..."
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Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs as they run to catch up with 171 on July 2, 2019 at 22:31. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 on July 2, 2019 at 22:32. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 1 of 171's spring cubs standing on July 2, 2019 at 22:32. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's spring cub standing on the closed trail on July 2, 2019 at 22:32; Truman shared this information about this photo: "The jury is out on what impact the new bridge will have on the bears. NPS is monitoring and watching closely. No matter what position anyone may have taken before it was built, now that it's there, everyone wants it to make life easier/less stressful on the bear residents. What is not in doubt, though, is that the design allows visitors (and those at home, via the cams) to view the bears better. This shot of a spring cub--on the so-called "Closed trail"--would simply not have been possible in 2018." Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:36. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:37 (01). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:37 (04) (p 12/07/19 04:23 ). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:37 (03). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs on July 2, 2019 at 22:37 (02). Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with 1 of her 2 spring cubs visible in the image (the other cub was behind her, both cubs still remained with 171) on July 2, 2019 at 22.37. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs on the closed trail on July 2, 2019 at 22:38. Truman Everts captured this photograph of one of 171's spring cubs as it "scratched behind her ear for maybe a minute" on July 2, 2019 at 22:39. Truman Everts shared (share #1 and share #2 ) 7/2/2019 photos of 171 and her 2 spring cubs, photo #1 and photo #2. Truman Everts shared a photo of 1 of 171's cubs scratching on 7/2/2019.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
On 7/2/2019 171 and her 2 spring cubs were observed traveling from the point to the closed trail. As the cubs sit on the high bank, 171 can be seen fishing in the background. The cubs seem to be alert to danger and 171 rushes over to them, video by Martina.
Kara Stenberg video of 171 again treeing her cubs by the lodge on 7/2/2019.
2019.07.03-07.05: Journey to All National Parks (Sidney Chow) video recorded between 7/3-7/5/2019. 171 can be seen in a photo with her 2 spring cubs at 5:26. 171 is later seen in the video with both spring cubs from 7:05-8:23. The videographer describes his observations about 171 outside his cabin. Mr Chow also posted a trip blog with photos.
2019.07.03: Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs in Tuckerville on July 3, 2019 at 10:39 (p 09/08/19 07:27); Truman shared this "Brooks Camp ~ You are there" information about this photo: "Technically, this is definitely in camp, but it's an area locals call 'Tuckerville,' which most visitors never see. This was kind of a comical moment: The cubs were trying to figure out whether they needed to respond to the Bear Management gentleman, who was gently, appropriately, trying to move them out of camp. (that's who the cub is looking at). Mom--on the other hand--was letting him know, that "No," she would do her own thing at her own pace." Truman Everts also captured this photograph of 171 with her 2 spring cubs in Tuckerville on July 3, 2019 at 10:39. Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs in Tuckerville; Truman shared this information about this photograph: "Brooks Camp - You Are There, Part 101: There's a living area for lodge employees (I believe locals call it 'Tuckerville') and occasionally sows will hang out there...presumably because there's perceived safety. On this day the bear tech had a tough time convincing the sow to move her cubs away." Truman Everts captured this photograph of 171's 2 spring cubs strolling through Brooks Camp (behind 171, 171 out of frame) on July 3, 2019 at 10:40.:
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
2019.07.05: 171 July 5, 2019 NPS photo by Ranger Tammy Carmack KNP&P Flickr.
Bear cam viewer and park visitor BearTreeHugr shared fifteen 7/5/2019 photos of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on 4/6/2022, #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14 and #15. BearTreeHugr's comments "171 and her precious coy welcomed us to Brooks Camp on our trip in 2019 (sorry pics were taken through the plane windows). We had to wait in the plane until the family finally meandered far enough down the beach for us to start our day. The beach is basically a playground for cubs with an assortment of things to chew and play with! When it sadly came time to leave Brooks, we were gathered on the beach and 171 was on the far end, near the mouth of the river. The cubs had finally settled down for a nap when a float plane appeared and started approaching at the end of the beach near her. She wasn't happy "Don't wake the sleeping babies!". She didn't feel comfortable and decided to move back down the beach towards us. We had to quickly leave the beach area and wait for her to pass by. The rangers did an excellent job keeping everyone aware of them and trying to allow her to go where she wanted to go. She kept them on their toes! She suddenly decided to exit the beach and cut up into the camp area. When you visit Brooks, you must ALWAYS stay alert for bears and cued to the rangers for potential situations. The rangers put the bears FIRST! She seemed to be a very caring, attentive, and protective mamma bear. I was heart-broken when I learned earlier this year that neither cub had survived. They were the very first brown bear sow and cubs that I had personally met, ever, and I'll always hold a special fondness for 171. Their memories will always be bittersweet and the harsh realities of a cub's life learned. July 5, 2019." Note: Unable to make a link to BearTreeHugr's comments. Please request BearTreeHugr's permission prior to using their photographs!
Lani H's 7/5/2019 video of 171 and her 2 cubs on the closed trail.
171 was seen fishing at Brooks Falls on 7/5/2019, video by mckate. She must have been very hungry to fish at the falls with so many other bears close by. The cubs must have been treed which is often the case with 171.
2019.07.08: NWBearLove92 shared 7/8/2019 photos of 171's 2 spring cubs in chat on 3/24/2020. Photos #1, #2 and #3. NWBearLove92 stated: "These are 171’s spring cubs from 7/8/19. She had treed them near the campground. Cub in first 2 photos was awake, but the other cub was sleeping...with tongue out!" NWBearLove92 shared 5 additional 7/8/2019 photos of 171's treed cubs on 5/10/2020, #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5. "171 treed both cubs near the campground entrance. We were able to view them from inside the campground area. It was so exciting to see them. One cub was wide awake and keeping an eye on us. The other cub was harder to see and was taking a nap. It was around 11:00 pm on 7/8/19."
Please request NWBearLove92's permission prior to using any of their photographs!
On 7/8/2019, 171 was observed on the lower river without her cubs, snapshot by Mazey. Mike Fitz commented later in the day that "171 has reunited with her cubs. She left them in a tree next to Brooks Lodge." In a 2nd comment Mike said ""Yes, I've seen this happen twice right outside Brooks Lodge in the past week."
Brooks Camp visitor and cam watcher Olatz Azcona Munárriz (aka Olatz) shared three 7/8/2019 photos of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on Naknek beach, #1, #2 and #3. "171 and her two spring cubs were regulars in Brooks Camp during my visit in 2019. 171 loved to hang out near the cabins where she used to park her spring cubs often. I am sure this family made Rangers work hard to keep people away from them that early July. I had the chance to spend some time with 171 and her spring cubs on the beach on July 8, and also the next day at sunrise. It was really sad to learn about the loss of her largest cub first, and later her remaining cub sometime between October 2019 and June 2020." Please request Olatz Azcona Munárriz's (aka Olatz) permission prior to using their photographs!
2019.07.09: Olatz Azcona Munárriz (aka Olatz) shared four 7/9/2019 photos of 171 and her 2 spring cubs on Naknek beach, #1, #2, #3 and #4. Please request Olatz Azcona Munárriz's (aka Olatz) permission prior to using their photographs!
2019.07.11: The 171 family was observed on the closed trail on 7/11/2019, video by Lani H.
2019.07.16: 171's spring cubs could be seen climbing a tree at the corner, 7/16/2019 video by Lani H.
In a 2nd 7/16/2019 video by Lani H, the 171 family is seen on the closed trail.
2019.07.18: RV Dreams July 18, 2019 photographs of 171 with her 2 spring cubs: Page 2 photos 45-50, Page 3 photos 51-62 and 66-75, Page 4 photos 76-92.
Birgitt captured this video of 171 with her 2 spring cubs nursing on the Closed Trail. 171 becomes alarmed and sits up to continue nursing while being cautious.
Erum Chad captured video of 171 treeing her cubs by the corner on 7/18/2019. 171 sensed a threat to her cubs and can be seen both chasing an unseen bear towards camp and moving subadults away from the area.
2019.07.19: Mckate video of 171's 2 spring cubs in a wrestling session on 7/19/2019.
2019.07.20: 171 was last observed with both of her spring cubs on 7/20/2019, video by Cruiser.
Birgitt recorded 171 alone twice on 7/20/2019. In the 1st video, 171 rests by the corner.
In the 2nd video 171 is seen fishing on the lower river by herself.
2019.07.20 - 2019.07.21: Sometime around July 20, 2019 and July 21, 2019 , 171 lost one of her two spring cubs. Rangers did not witness the circumstances that lead to 171 losing this offspring, but they do discuss it in this July 29, 2019 live chat. Rangers said she had a personality change after that. She was charging Rangers in camp and the surviving cub was very scared and clinging underneath her. The discussion can be heard from 28:40-29:29. Note: Video unavailable as of 2021. Thumbnail left for context.
Discussions as to which spring cub 171 lost and which cub remains with her have evolved.:
When a sow loses a cub, the discussion of which cub was lost comes up. Mazey compared fur color on 171's two spring cub's faces awhile ago. Mazey thought the large cub's was dark and the runt's was lighter brown, but couldn't be positive. Some might find it strange that individuals wonder which cub was lost. Observations over the years have shown that larger cubs will often wander further away from their mother while smaller cubs tend to remain in closer proximity to the safety of their mother. What we would like to learn from trying to determine which cub(s) of a litter are lost, is if larger cubs wandering at greater distance may play a role in larger cubs being lost and if smaller cubs are more likely to survive because they stay so close to their mother.
Goldilocks Canada has participated in some of those overversations and shared this information on January 30, 2020 at 11:33 with supporting pics: #1 , #2 , #3 , #4 , #5 & #6 . Goldilocks added one more snapshot ::
"While reading this, was just reminded of our “conversation” as to which cub 171 lost. Both of us felt that it was the smaller cub. You posted a video of 171 and surviving cub on the Valley Road. Here is a screen grab of the surviving cub standing. As well as a pic I took of the smaller cub’s natal collar. (Note the darker patch, in the collar, near the cub’s left shoulder area in both pics.) I was sure that I had also gotten a pic of the larger cub’s chest.....have searched for it to no avail. ;))) I remember thinking that there were clear differences in the chest pattern.....though it was quite similar.
I came across this collage that Martina did in my photos the other day (I have enlarged one of the pics in the collage). It clearly shows that the larger cub had a patch of white near the nape of it’s neck. The smaller cub had no white in that area.
Here are some screen grabs I took of the surviving cub, from slightly different angles, on July 23/19. I see no evidence of a white patch in that area.
Some might say, “why does it matter?”. In the time of the cams, I believe I have observed that the majority of cubs that are lost are not the smallest ones (the ones we often perceive to be the weakest, most vulnerable ones). “IF” my observations are correct what are the possible reasons.....Do the bigger cubs take more risks? Are they more likely to leave a larger distance between themselves and their protective mothers? ....etc....etc?"
Mazey replied on February 1, 2020 06:32 :
"...That is a great pick up re: the dark spot on the shoulder of the cub. I also think that the X on the chest would really tell us which cub was lost. I have done a quick look through my bookmarks to see if the larger cub has the same X natal collar on its chest and have not found any photos. I will try to find some photos on Monday. Here are a few to look through although it mostly confirms the X collar on the smaller cub.
born2flyalaska Instagram (he had lots of interactions with 171 and cubs on the beach):
Devon Holmberg (aka born2flyalaska) videos of 171 with 2 spring cubs: #1 , #2 , #3 & #4
RV Dreams has tons of July 18, 2019 photographs: Page 3 , Page 4 , Page 5 & Page 6 ..."
KCanada & Goldilocks Canada continue the discussion
2019.07.21: Dennis Harmon captured 171 and her remaining spring cub in this video on July 21, 2019. Mr Harmon confirmed that this video was filmed on 7/21/2019. The cub's face appears to be light brown .:
Cam viewer and NPS volunteer Stacey shared her story of observing 171 on 7/21/2019 with only 1 spring cub.
Here's Part One of my 171 story. It's kind of background.
The adventure is in Part 2, which I'll post shortly.
Bear 171 in 2019, Part 1: In July 2019, Bear 171 and her two spring cubs were ubiquitous at Brooks Camp.
The light-colored mom and her two tiny cubs of the year were first spotted at Brooks Camp in late June, and in the first part of July, the family group was a central and well photographed presence in camp—that is, the human-populated area around Brooks Lodge, the Visitor Center and the Ranger Station.
171 would nurse her cubs on the beach in front of the Visitor Center—welcoming arriving guests, and creating a bear jam that forced them to walk down the beach and take an alternate route to their mandatory, first-thing-when-you-arrive bear orientation. The cubs learned to climb the flagpole in front of the VC, delighting departing guests who were waiting to catch their afternoon flights.
For several consecutive days in July, a persistent and curious subadult followed the family group through camp, causing 171 to tree her cubs outside the lodge (or outside the yurt, or outside the ranger station) while she waited patiently below for the subadult to leave. Even after a few days, once the subadult had moved on to other adventures, she treed her cubs, more than once, just outside the Visitor Center, causing rangers to strategize alternate visitor routes and escorts between the VC, the food cache, the lodge and the plane landing/loading area on Naknek Beach.
As a mother bear, there are lots of things to worry about: Bigger bears, sometimes-unpredictable humans and so much more. When 171 was worried about one of those perceived threats, she’d send them up a tree.
At Brooks Camp, it’s not unusual for mother bears to use human groups as protection for their cubs. Moms will often nurse their cubs near Brooks Lodge overnight. We’ve seen 128 Grazer, 402 and other moms “park” their cubs next to the viewing platforms while they fish; the logic seems to be that the since big male bears tend to avoid the viewing platforms—and other areas with humans—those areas may be a safe place for moms to leave cubs while they fish and gain the calories necessary to keep themselves and their cubs fed.
But 171’s behavior in July 2019 seemed somewhat different (to me, anyway). In the first part of July, anecdotally, she seemed to be seen in the human-populated areas of camp more often than other bears. And her safety procedure was clearly to send her cubs up a tree. A knowledgeable volunteer described 171’s behavior during that period as “indecisive”; he worried that 171 was so focused on protecting her cubs that she wasn’t getting the calories she’d need to help the cubs succeed. (To be fair, July 2019 was incredibly warm—with air temperatures in the 80s and 90s, and water temperatures in the low 70s—so there was a long stretch in early July when the Brooks River salmon run was much lower than normal. It may be that 171’s presence in camp was a reflection of the fact that there just weren’t a lot of salmon to be had in the river.)
Here's Part 2 of my 171 story.
I call it: Mom with Single Cub on the Trail
Sunday, July 21, was a day off for me. I’d spent time at volunteer housing, cleaning and doing laundry, then headed down to the river to watch and talk w/people about bears.
I made a quick stop at the Brooks Falls platform, to pick up a water bottle that I’d forgotten there the night before.
Water bottle in hand, I joined several guests who were leaving the platform and heading toward camp. It was just before 10:45 a.m.
We chatted as we walked down the Brooks Falls Trail, away from the viewing platforms. And then, when we were about two-thirds of the way down the trail, heading toward the pit toilets, we spotted a light blond bear, spring cub at her heels, approaching us on the path.
She was walking briskly and determinedly, so our group moved quickly off the trail to let the family group pass.
As we stood together in the forest, about 8 feet off the trail, the family group walked toward us on the trail. And then, right in front of us, they stopped.
This, for me, was unusual. Usually when you encounter a bear on the trail, you step aside, the bear walks past, and everyone goes about their business. Sometimes, an inquisitive subadult will try to follow you into the woods—though they usually move on once they hear human voices. But I’d never had a bear stop right in front of me on the trail before.
I immediately noticed something else unusual: This bear had only one spring cub.
“This surprises me,” I said to the guests who were with me in the woods. “I’m not sure which bear this is: I think it's Bear 171, but it might be Bear 719, or it might be the unidentified mom who was reported in camp early in the season. All of those bears are light colored like this one—but all of those bears have two spring cubs.
“So unless this is a new bear who’s just arrived with one spring cub, I’m concerned that this might be a mom who's missing a cub.”
Often, when you’re with a group of people off trail, waiting for a bear to go past, there’s a lot of chatter. People are filming and taking photos, of course, but we’re also following the instructions from bear school—you’re talking so that the bear hears your voice and moves past. Usually, it’s “Hey, bear.” “It’s okay, bear.” “Keep on walking, bear.” “Thank you, bear.”
But in this case, my group was very quiet.
The bear was stopped on the trail, looking back the way she came. Her tiny cub stood close to her legs. I talked, kind of narrating what I was seeing, and the group listened, taking photos and filming video. It seemed like we were all holding our breath, waiting for the second cub to arrive.
But the second cub never came.
I observed at the time that the mother bear didn’t seem agitated; she was sniffing the air occasionally, but she wasn’t huffing and she didn’t seem frantic. She was watching the trail behind her—it seemed that she might have been waiting for the cub, or maybe she was watching out for another bear? She seemed quite comfortable with our presence; she wasn’t in a hurry to move away.
After a few minutes, the mom and cub turned back down the trail the way they’d came.
“We’ll wait here,” I said, to my group in the woods. “We want to give her lots of extra space in case she’s looking for her cub.”
The mom and cub walked a few feet down the trail, toward the toilets, never leaving our view. Then they stopped again, and then they returned to their first waiting spot in front of us.
The mom still seemed unperturbed. Our group stayed in the woods, watching and talking quietly about what we were seeing. After about five minutes, the two bears moved up the trail, heading toward Brooks Falls.
Usually, once a bear moves past, the people waiting want to move out of the woods right away.
But in this case, “Let’s just wait here for a while,” I said. “I want to see if that other cub comes along.”
“That’s okay,” someone said softly from the trees behind me. “We have time.” (The patience and kindness in his voice made me want to cry.)
We waited another six or eight minutes, with no signs of bears. And then we moved out onto the trail.
As our group walked down the Falls Trail, heading away from the viewing platforms and toward camp, we talked quietly and kept our eyes open for bears. I’ll admit that I was especially looking in the trees.
We saw no other bears, and we saw no people, until we reached the Lower River platforms.
I notified the bear management rangers that I’d seen a mom with a single spring cub, and that I thought it was 171. (“Oh, that’s interesting,” was the immediate response.) And later in the day, I started hearing reports that 171 had been spotted with one spring cub. There were no reports of lone cubs.
GreenRiver posted below that “When one of our sows looses a coy, instead of thinking the little one has died, I prefer to imagine that somewhere out there is another “cubadult” that we will never know about. Another coy or yearling whose amazing story will never be known or celebrated by us, but who is out there anyway, perhaps with an even more incredible story than our known 503 and 610.”
That’s how I’ll choose to think about 171’s missing coy.
And as 2019 went on, I was repeatedly struck by the audacity and boldness of 171’s surviving cub. Who knows how his story has changed by the loss of his sibling?
So here’s to 171: A mom who tries. A mom who raised a bold and tenacious cub through the summer of 2019. And a mom who taught me -- and many visitors -- many lessons this past July.
2019.07.23: The next time 171 was observed on the cams was on 7/23/2019 and she only had 1 cub. She was seen on the closed trail twice (#1 and #2) and #3, napping on the point, all 3 videos by Lani H.
2019.07.24: NSBoak (aka Ranger Naomi Boak) shared a 7/24/2029 photo of 171 on 3/1/2023. Her remaining cub may have been treed.
Please request NSBoak's (aka Ranger Naomi Boak) permission prior to using her photographs!
171 and her remaining spring cub on the closed trail, 7/24/2019 video by Lani H.
2019.07.25: Lani H's 7/25/2019 video of 171 and her single spring cub at the oxbow.
2019:07:26: 171 and her single spring cub on the lower river, 7/26/2019 video by Lani H.
2019.07.27: KCanada captured this snapshot of 171 with her spring cub.
Arleen Beech captured video of 171 and cub on the closed trail and swimming in the lower river on 7/27/2019.
2019.07.28: 273 and her 3 spring cubs are seen with 171 and her remaining spring cub in the oxbow area on 7/28/2019, video by Lani H. 171 and her cub are in the foreground.
2019.07.31: 171 and her spring cub were last seen on 7/31/2019, video by Lani H. They were observed sharing a fish and playing in the lower river.
171 and her remaining spring cub were not observed on the live cams from 7/31/2019-9/14/2019.
August 2019:[]
2019.08.05 or Prior: Sometime between July 20, 2019 and August 5, 2019, Taylor Thomas Albright captured this video of 171 with her remaining spring cub.
August 30, 2019 - September 2, 2019:[]
2019.08.30 - 2019.09.02: Over the Labor Day weekend, park visitors filmed 171 and her remaining spring cub on their bus ride to the VTTS (footage is from 2:42-3:01), video by Anna Bader. Note the interesting "x" shape of the remaining spring cub's natal collar Mike Fitz commented on January 31, 08:56 and confirmed the ID of 171 with remaining cub. Mike also shared this information about the location that the park visitors may have seen 171 with her COY.: "I can't be sure where on the road the family was seen, but it looks like somewhere around the halfway point on the road, which would be 10-11 miles from Brooks Camp. The first river crossing is about 12 miles from Brooks. They got to see Ukak River in flood too. While it's always muddy in summer with ash and glacial silt, it usually isn't that high."
September 2019:[]
2019.09.14: 171 and her remaining spring cub were not observed on the live cams from 07/31/2019 - 09/14/2019 . 171 and her remaining spring cub returned to Brooks Camp on 9/14/2019 after an absence of about 6 weeks, video by mckate.
2019.09.16: 171 watches cubs (her 1 remaining spring cub & 708's 2 spring cubs) while 708 naps video by mckate. 171's remaining COY was really interested in 708's 2 COY.:
171 family group and 708 Amelia family group meet video by mckate (long version). The 3 cubs appear curious about each other. Both mothers seem to be at ease with the situation.
171's and 708 Amelia's spring cubs ~ Baby Bluff Charge video by Birgitt. 708's blonde female cub does the majority of bluff charging (2:09, 2:17, 3:15, 3:27, 4:33, 5:04, 5:36 and also flips a log at 6:24). 171's cub makes a slight bluff charge at 5:16.:
Cam watcher and Brooks Camp visitor scooch captured 9/16/2019 photos around the same time as Birgitt's "Baby Bluff Charging" video. 171 with her 1 spring cub and 708 Amelia and her 2 spring cubs are seen in close proximity on the closed path, photos #1 and #2. Scooch shared a 9/16/2019 photo of 171 and her remaining spring cub on 4/23/2020. Scooch shared her trip notes for these photos on 3/1/2023 as well as an additional photo. "My trip notes from September 16, 2019 - The drizzly rain that had hampered us the day before was gone, replaced by bright sunshine that was occasionally dimmed by a passing cloud. The bears liked the weather too as many of them were out and about, including some momma bears with their cubs. There were several awe-inspiring moments that day and one of my favorites happened that evening when 171 and her cub came across 708 Amelia and her coys on the closed trail. 171's lone cub and 708's light cub traded cute little bluff charges back and forth, to the amusement of all of us on the bridge lookout. Amelia's dark cub hung close to her and did not join in, choosing instead to rest alongside mom. It was nice to see a relaxed 171."
Please request Scooch's permission prior to using her photographs!
Susan Grace's 9/16/2019 photo of 171 and her remaining spring cub in camp.
2019.09.18: 171 and her cub could be viewed by the point and gravel bar on 9/18/2019 video by Lani H. 171 is often observed there as well as the beach and in camp.
Cam watcher and Brooks Camp visitor scooch captured a photo of 171 and her spring cub on the beach. Scooch shared the photo on 4/4/2021 and commented "We didn't get to see 171 much while there but she and her cub were sitting on the beach while we waited to catch the float plane on our last day there (the 18th). Love the look on her cub's face in this pic."
Please request Scooch's permission prior to using her photographs!
2019.09.22: Birgitt captured 9/22/2019 video of 610 walking past her Mom 171 (speculated) as the spring cub chases gulls on the spit,
Lani H also captured 9/22/2019 video of 171 and spring cub with 610 on the spit.
2019.09.24: Birgitt filmed 171 and her cub standing and eating scraps on the gravel bar, video from 9/24/2019.
Katmai Conservancy Ranger Naomi Boak shared this 9/24/2019 NPS photo of 171 and her remaining spring cub on 5/10/2020. 171 and her cub are pictured in camp "after most rangers and lodge staff have left."
Permission to use her NPS photos posted on the bearcam comments
2019.09.25: 171 and her spring cub were seen by the point on 9/25/2019, video by mckate.
2019.09.30: 171 and her thriving spring cub were last observed on the bear cams on 9/30/2019, video by Lani H. The video is well worth the watch. 273 and her 3 spring cubs are resting by the lower river bridge when 171 and her single spring cub approach. The cubs show a lot of curiosity by repeatedly advancing back and forth towards each other. At 11:00, 273's cub bluff charges 273's cubs, immediately makes a sharp right turn and runs back to mom. This cub interaction was a highlight of the season!
The 273 family group and the 171 family group meet on the lower river video by Arlene Beech (aka Homebird).:
October 2019: []
Note: The Lower River East Cam was turned off on 10/1/2019 so there was no view of the spit. LR, RW and the UW cam were turned off on 10/10/2019. Sows and cubs may have still been at Brooks Camp after those dates.
2020: Single Adult Female []
171 was not observed in camp with what would be her yearling cub when she arrived in Brooks Camp in 2020. It is unknown what happened to 171's remaining yearling cub of 2 spring cubs originally.
July 2020:[]
2020.07.04: 171 was thought to have returned with her yearling cub to Brooks Camp on 7/4/2020, video by Lani H. The "cub" seen with her in the video was later thought to possibly be 132's 2.5 year old male offspring. This could not be confirmed. Rangers did confirm that when 171 was first seen in camp she did not have her yearling cub.
Mckate's 7/4/2020 video, 171 returns without her yearling.
2020.07.05: 171 was seen snorkeling alone on 7/5/2020, video by Lani H.
Birgitt's 7/5/2020 (not 7/6/2020) video of 171 snorkeling on the lower river, no cub with her.
2020.07.08: 171 is courted by 20 on the lower river, 7/8/2020 video by mckate.
2020.07.10: 171 is observed fishing near the oxbow, 7/10/2020 video by Lani H.
2020.07.18: 171 fishing on the lower river, 7/18/2020 video by Erum Chad.
2020.07.20: 171 scavenging in the oxbow area, 7/20/2020 video by Lani H.
2020.07.21: 171 is seen walking down the spit road in this 7/21/2020 video by Lani H.
2021: Adult Female[]
171 was included in the 2022 Bears of Brooks River book page 40.
July 2021:[]
2021.07.03: 171 is seen on cams for the first time in this 7/3/2021 video by mckate.
2021.07.04: 171 visits the falls, 7/4/2021 video by mckate.
Cam viewer snapshots of 171 from 7/4/2021, #1 by Larinor, #2 by dkdogs and #3 by GreenRiver.
2021.07.05: Brooks Camp visitor NWBearLove92 shared a 7/5/2021 photo of 171 on 8/4/2021. "Beautiful sow 171…She was very popular with the boars while I was at Brooks. We saw her mating with 503 and shortly after that she was pursued by 89. She also treed herself near the falls walkway to get away from another boar. Photo 7/5/21." NWBearLove92 shared a 7/5/2021 photo of 171. "Closeup of gorgeous 171. I hope she comes back with spring cubs next year. I did see her mating with 503 near the viewing platform and 89 was pursuing her as well. Photo from 7/5/21." Please request NWBearLove92's permission prior to using any of their photographs!
821 following 171? Video by Itzy Holly-LO, 7/5/2021.
2021.07.06: 171 being courted by 856? 7/6/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2021.07.07: 171 possibly being courted by 856, 7/7/2021 gif by LunaCre.
89 Backpack courting 171, 7/7/2021 snapshot by missmissyd1992.
2021.07.08: 171 is seen (near) at Brooks Falls, 7/8/2021 snapshot by Debi (Bearz61)
2021.07.09: 171 is seen on the BFL cam, 7/9/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2021.07.11: 171 is seen close up at the falls in this 7/11/2021 video by JG.
Cam viewer snapshots of 171 on 7/11/2021, #1 by nana62, #2 by Blair-55, #3 by JenNM.
2021.07.15: Expert high grader 171, 7/15/2021 video by mckate.
821 shows interest in 171, she wants fish, 7/15/2021 video by Birgitt.
2021.07.22: 171 by the brooks falls platform, 7/22/2021 snapshot by SnowBear.
2021.07.27: 171 grabs a fish by the platform, 7/27/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2022: Adult Female[]
2022 Season:[]
Deanna Dittloff (aka deelynnd) created this 2022 season video of 171, "Bear 171 2022."
June 2022:[]
June or July 2022:[]
Park visitor fwmj's Instagram video of 32 Chunk courting 171.
2022.06.21: 171 is seen in this 6/21/2022 Instagram video by wight_family_travels. 171 appears to be single unless she had cubs that were treed which she is known to do in camp. "I love seeing them from a distance, but this close was a bit scary. Remember to try to keep at least 50 m between you and the bears while visiting Katmai National Park at Brooks Lodge! They’re cuties but they can deal some damage when approached."
171 can be seen from 8:32-9:12 in this 6/21/2022 video by ashleigh fay vlogs.
2022.06.23: 171 was first observed on the cams on 6/23/2022, video by mckate. She appears to be single.
171 tells 230 to get lost, 6/23/2022 video by mckate. "She's not interested in his attentions!"
2022.06.25: 171 on the spit and the big island, 6/25/2022 video by JG.
2022.06.26: 171 hangs out at the falls, 6/26/2022 video by Hey Princess.
2022.06.27: 171 moves along the lower river, 6/27/2022 video by JG.
2022.06.28: Betsy Bear's two 6/28/2022 photos of 171, #1 and #2.
Please request BetsyBear's permission prior to using her photographs!
171 follows the same path as she did in the 6/27/2022 video above, traveling along the river bank, 6/29/2022 video by Cheryl B.
2022.06.29: A merganser and chicks pass by 171, 6/29/2022 video by Jen Schneider.
July 2022:[]
171 appears on the list of Bears Monitored in July 2022.
2022.07.02: 171 along the lower river path, 7/2/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.03: Betsy Bear's 7/3/2022 photo of 171 on the beach.
Please request BetsyBear's permission prior to using her photographs!
2022.07.04: 856 follows (courts) 171, 7/4/2022 video by twelve22. "With a surprise pop up from a small blonde bear near the end."
171 and her speculated daughter rest on the spit road, 7/4/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.05: 856 continues to court 171, 7/5/2022 gifs by LunaCre, #1 and #2.
2022.07.06: Truman Evert's 7/6/2022 photo of 171. Truman Evert's7/6/2022 photo of 171. Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
171 on the downriver island, 7/6/2022 video by Jen Schneider.
2022.07.07: After an altercation with 399, 503's mood improved considerably after he saw beautiful 171 and decided to follow her, 7/7/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.09: 856 continues to court 171, 7/9/2022 gif by LunaCre. 503 also continues to show interest in 171, 7/9/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.10: 856 pursues a sow believed to be 171 on the lower river, 7/10/2022 video by Jen Schneider.
2022.07.14: 821 and 171 feast on leftovers together, 7/14/2022 video by JG.
2022.07.17: An unknown boar pursues 171, 7/17/2022 video by JG.
2022.07.19: 171 (left front) near her possible daughter 610 (right front), 7/19/2022 video by JG.
2022.07.20: 171 (left) and her speculated daughter 610 (right) spent a lot of time picking up scraps, 7/20/2022 gif by LunaCre.
September 2022:[]
171 appears on the list of Bears Monitored in Fall 2022.
Note: The bear cams were offline from 9/10-9/17/2022.
2022.09.07: 171 returned to BrooksCamp after a 7 week absence, 9/7/2022 video by JG.
2022.09.10: Cam viewer and Brooks Camp visitor angerbodha's September 10, 2022 photo of 171.
Please request angrboda's permission prior to using her photographs!
2022.09.15: Olatz Azcona Munárriz shared a 9/15/2022 photo of 171 on 3/3/2023. "171 resting near the falls boardwalk."
Please request Olatz Azcona Munárriz's (aka Olatz) permission prior to using their photographs!
2022.09.16: Olatz Azconá Munarriz shared a 9/16/2022 photo of 171. "171 was hanging out on the lower river when I returned from the falls the early afternoon of my fourth day trip to Brooks River. Yet, she headed to the far channel as soon as I arrived, and I was only able to take a few pictures of her. That was the only time I got to see her."
Please request Olatz Azcona Munárriz's (aka Olatz) permission prior to using their photographs!
2022.09.17: 171 searches the riffles for fish, 9/17/2022 video by JG.
2022.09.19: Possibly 171 at the bottom of the cutbank, 9/19/2022 video by Itzy LO 335.
2022.09.22: 171 stops by the falls briefly, 9/22/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.09.23: 171 takes a walk in the grass, 9/23/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.09.27: 171 makes another quick stop at the falls, 9/27/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.09.28: 171 fishes the riffles, 9/28/2022 video by mckate. "She worked hard for that fish."
2022.09.29: 171 dashes for a fish at the cutbank, 9/29/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.09.30: 171 enjoys her salmon under the warm sun, 9/30/2022 gif by LunaCre.
October 2022:[]
2022.10.02: 171 passes by the falls, 10/2/2022 video by JG. This was the last day that 171 was observed on the cams in 2022.
2023: Adult Female[]
July 2023:[]
2023.07.08: Blair-55 created these gifs (#1, #2 & #3) of 171 (p 20:15).:
171 arrives for the 2023 season along Spit Road, mckate captured this video:
2023.07.09: 171 gets her close-up in this video captured by mckate:
171 and 230 "Ben" were observed mating on the spit, Cruiser created this gif (p 19:39).:
mckate captured this video of the mating couple (171 and 230 "Ben") on the spit:
2023.07.10: Mike Fitz shares his morning of July 10, 2023 observation of 171 and 856 courting and mating as he stepped out of his cabin at approximately 8:40 into this video.:
In this episode of "Let sleeping bears lie" 83 decided to take a nap right on the trail, something a big boar can do! 171 quickly darted away, 208 seemed either oblivious or just unbothered and the last bear stopped in her tracks. mckate captured the episode in her video:
2023.07.18: 171 watches the falls action in mckate's video:
2023.07.19: 171 pulls fish after fish from the near pool in this video captured by mckate:
Known Courting & Mating:[]
2020:[]
July 2020:[]
2020.07.08: 20 courts 171, 7/8/2020 video by mckate. "He's sure getting around the river this season."
2021:[]
July 2021:[]
2021.07.05: Mike Fitz commented in chat on 7/6/2021 that "171 copulated with 503 last evening." Cam viewer and Brooks Camp visitor NWBearLove92 shared that "Beautiful sow 171…She was very popular with the boars while I was at Brooks. We saw her mating with 503 and shortly after that she was pursued by 89. She also treed herself near the falls walkway to get away from another boar."
2021.07.06: 171 being courted by 856? 7/6/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2021.07.07: 171 possibly being courted by 856, 7/7/2021 gif by LunaCre.
89 Backpack courting 171, 7/7/2021 snapshot by missmissyd1992.
2021.07.10: Mike Fitz commented during a 7/10/2021 play-by-play that 812 had just mated with 171 behind the platform, video by Explore. You can hear that discussion from 11:04-11:40.
2022:[]
June or July 2022:[]
Park visitor fwmj's Instagram video of 32 Chunk courting 171.
June 2022:[]
2022.06.23: 171 tells 230 to get lost, 6/23/2022 video by mckate. "She's not interested in his attentions!"
July 2022:[]
2022.07.04: 856 follows (courts) 171, 7/4/2022 video by twelve22. "With a surprise pop up from a small blonde bear near the end."
2022.07.05: 856 continues to court 171, 7/5/2022 gifs by LunaCre, #1 and #2.
2022.07.07: After an altercation with 399, 503's mood improved considerably after he saw beautiful 171 and decided to follow her, 7/7/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.09: 856 continues to court 171, 7/9/2022 gif by LunaCre. 503 also continues to show interest in 171, 7/9/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.10: 856 pursues a sow believed to be 171 on the lower river, 7/10/2022 video by Jen Schneider.
2023:[]
230 "Ben" & 171 Mating:[]
July 2023:[]
2023.07.09: 171 and 230 "Ben" were observed mating on the spit, Cruiser created this gif (p 19:39).:
856 & 171 Courting & Mating:[]
July 2023:[]
2023.07.10: Mike Fitz shares his morning of July 10, 2023 observation of 171 and 856 courting and mating as he stepped out of his cabin at approximately 8:40 into this video.:
Known Litters of Cubs:[]
1st Known Litter: 2014[]
2014: 2 Spring Cubs, 1st Known Litter, Lost 1 (Smaller, Darker)
171 returned to the Brooks River with 2 spring cubs, her 1st known litter. One of the spring cubs was larger and had a lighter coat. The other spring cub was noticeably smaller and much darker. One of these offspring is now believed to be female bear 610. 171 lost the darker, smaller spring cub during the 2014 season (see August 2014 in the Life History Section above). A small, dark abandoned spring cub was observed for a period of time shortly after 171 was observed with only the larger, lighter remaining spring cub.
Deanna Dittloff (aka deelynnd) created this video of 610 that begins when she was a spring cub with 171 (speculated). Footage of 171 with her believed offspring, 610 can be seen in the beginning of this video.:
2015: Single Female (see 2015 Subadult 610)
When initially observed in the 2015 season, 171 was a single adult female with no remaining yearlings from her 2014 litter. However, in 2015 there was a small subadult, 610 , that strongly resembled 171's remaining 2014 larger, lighter spring cub. Some cam viewers speculate that 610 is the 2015 abandoned yearling of 171, and the 2015 bear monitoring records reflect that park staff also share in that speculation .
2nd Known Litter: 2016[]
2016: 3 Spring Cubs, 2nd Known Litter
171 returned to the Brooks River with 3 spring cubs, her 2nd known litter.
2017: 3 Yearlings, Lost 1, 2 Remaining Yearlings
171 initially returned to the Brooks River with all three yearlings from her 2016 litter, but was soon after seen with only two remaining yearlings. Both of these remaining yearlings were very small, and often treed themselves in the presence of other bears.
3rd Known Litter: 2019[]
2019: 2 Spring Cubs
171 returned with 2 spring cubs, her 3rd known litter. Sometime around July 20, 2019 and July 21, 2019 , 171 lost one of her two spring cubs. Rangers did not witness the circumstances that lead to 171 losing this offspring, but they do discuss it in this July 29, 2019 live chat . Rangers said she had a personality change after that. She was charging Rangers in camp and the surviving cub was very scared and clinging underneath her. One of 171's spring cubs is/was a male. It is not known which of the two spring cubs 171 lost, so the sex of the remaining cub is not known.
2020: Single Female.
171 lost her remaining spring cub between the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2020.
Known Relatives:[]
Offspring:
610?: Speculated
Some cam viewers speculate that 610 is the 2015 abandoned yearling of 171. and bear monitoring records reflect that park staff also share in the speculation . When last observed in 2014, 171 was observed with a remaining spring cub. When first observed in 2015, 171 was a single female. Around the same time a young, small subadult was observed; that subadult having a strong resemblance to 171's 2014 remaining spring cub. This cub would have been a yearling in 2015 and the size of the subadult also seems to support the possibility that 610 could be this remaining 171 2014 offspring.
Genetics Study Samples Obtained:[]
2016: None known[]
There were no known darting attempts, successful or unsuccessful, of 171 by Ranger Michael Saxton for the genetics study in 2016.
2017: None known[]
There were no known darting attempts, successful or unsuccessful, of 171 by Ranger Michael Saxton for the genetics study in 2017.