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Adult Female ~ No Longer Seen
Year First Identified: 1997 with 2 Spring Cubs
Year Last Observed: 2011
Known Offspring Of: ?
Known Litters of Cubs: 5
Genetics Study Samples Obtained: Genetics study samples must have been obtained from 236 Milkshake at some point as information in the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks River states "DNA analysis has confirmed that she (236 Milkshake) is the mother of #604 (Little) and #608". It is not known to us when this genetics study sample was obtained or by whom.
Identification:[]
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Distinctive Behaviors:[]
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Life History:[]
1997: with 2 Spring Cubs, 1st Known Litter[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with her 1st known litter of cubs, 2 spring cubs.
1998: with 1 Remaining Yearling[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with 1 remaining yearling from her 1997 litter.
2000: with 3 Spring Cubs, 2nd Known Litter (604 Little & 608)[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with 3 spring cubs, her 2nd known litter.
July 2000:[]
2000.07.02: Could this be 236 Milkshake with 2 remaining spring cubs on July 2, 2000? Video by monjiro i.
2001: with 3 Yearlings (604 Little & 608)[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with the 3 yearlings from her 2000 litter. 604 Little and 608 are two of those offspring.
2003: with 4 Spring Cubs, 3rd Known Litter[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with 4 spring cubs, her 3rd known litter. There is speculation that 94 may be one of the offspring from this litter. Mike Fitz' October 10, 2018 11:03 comment : "It's possible that 94 was only 5.5 years old when she was first identified in 2008 with spring cubs. Although the bear monitoring staff at the time wasn't sure of her age, their notes indicate that 94 might have been an offspring of 236 Milkshake from a 2003 litter. Will Troyer, during his studies on Brooks River bears in the 1970s, documented one female bear ("Sister") giving birth at age 4."
2003 Season:[]
236 Milkshake's 4 spring cubs can be seen in this video by Eric Jones. Be sure to have your sound on; one of the cubs is very vocal
July 2003:[]
2003.07.12-07.15: Oellafella filmed 236 Milkshake and her litter of 4 spring cubs extensively from 7/12-7/15/2003. The family can be seen traveling all over the lower river and by the viewing platform. The video footage can be viewed from 36:28-36:41, 37:01-57:29 and 58:33-59:54.
September 2003:[]
October 2003:[]
2003.10.01: NPS photo of 236 Milkshake's 4 spring cubs.
2004: with 4 Remaining Yearlings, But Lost 2 During 2004 Season[]
June 2004:[]
2004.06.29: 236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with the 4 yearlings from her 2003 litter. The smallest yearling was separated from the family at Brooks Falls on June 29, 2004 or June 30, 2004 and not seen again afterwards.
July 2004:[]
236 Milkshake lost a second yearling, a male, in July of 2004.
2005: Successfully Weaned Two 2.5 Year-Olds[]
Spring 2005:[]
236 Milkshake is believed to have successfully weaned the 2 remaining offspring from her 2003 litter in the spring of 2005. 94 is speculated to be one of these offspring.
2008:[]
2008 Season:[]
Ranger Roy Wood created the video from a series of photos of 236 Milkshake jumping off the falls.
This video by reisereiz is believed to have been recorded in 2008. Mike Fitz was able to identify the sow with 2 yearlings fishing the lip as 236 Milkshake on 2/9/2021. Mike also identified the 2 sows on the lip (2:17-2:23) as 744 Dent (far) and 415 (near). "That's definitely Milkshake with two yearlings with footage shortly after of 415 and 744 Dent. Milkshake is shown at 2:43 too." 236 Milkshake and her 2 yearlings are seen from 2:12-2:17 and 2:41-3:23.
June 2008:[]
July 2008:[]
October 2008:[]
2009:[]
June 2009:[]
July 2009:[]
2010: with 4 Spring Cubs, 5th & Last Known Litter[]
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with 4 spring cubs, her 5th and final known litter.
2010 Season:[]
236 Milkshake and her 4 spring cubs can be seen in the video by John Grabowska:
July 2010:[]
2010.07.??: Bob's Wildlife Photos July 2010 gallery titled "Mother Bear with 4 Cubs Katmai National Park." This gallery contains 69 July 2010 photos of 236 Milkshake and her 4 spring cubs. The photographer noted "These photos were taken of a brown bear sow that the rangers have named milk shake and her 4 cubs. The photos were taken at Katmai National Park in late July, 2010. According to the rangers, this is the second time this sow has had 4 cubs. We were very lucky in that she spent a lot of time on the beach within yards of the Brooks Camp during our stay, this allowed Sherry and I to take over 2,000 photos of this family. We've moved some of our favorites to their folder."
2010.07.??: 236 Milkshake and her 4 spring cubs can be seen at the 5:45 mark into this video by Stu Davidson:
2010.07.10: 236 Milkshake and her 4 spring cubs video by Marcia Bernstein (aka marciahoopoe):
2010.07.26: Camp visitor Gordon Laing captured video of 238 Milkshake and her 4 spring cubs on 7/26/2010. The family is seen on Naknek beach where planes arrive (0:46-1:05) and on the lower river (3:38-3:47).
September 2010:[]
2010.09.07: NPS photo of 236 Milkshake with her 4 spring cubs.
2010.09.09: NPS photo of one of 236 Milkshake's spring cubs provided by Mike Fitz, Resident Naturalist with Explore.org on July 19, 2022 14:00 during a bearcam comment chat on the dedicated live chat board.:
One of 236 Milkshake's spring cubs September 9, 2010 NPS photo provided by Mike Fitz (DLCB p 07/19/22 14:00)
2011: with 2 Remaining Yearlings, But Lost Them ~ Last Year 236 Was Observed[]
236 Milkshake, in her mid 20s, returned to the Brooks River with only 2 remaining yearlings from her 2010 litter. 2011 yielded a low salmon run at Brooks River / in the Bristol Bay region. 236 struggled to feed herself and her offspring. 236 Milkshake lost both of these remaining yearlings during the 2011 season.
236 Milkshake was last observed in 2011.
2012:[]
236 was included in the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook:
How 236 Milkshake Got Her Nickname:[]
According to former KNP&P bear biologist, Tamara Olson, 236 Milkshake got her nickname because of the size of her teats. 236 Milkshake can be observed at approximately 7:53 into this video by Stu Davidson which shows a " glimpse of her large teats. that resulted in her nickname". This September 2010 photograph of 236 Milkshake also provides an additional view of her large teats.
236 Milkshake's nickname was given to her due to her large teats when she was nursing offspring.
Known Courting & Mating:[]
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Known Litters of Cubs:[]
236 Milkshake had 5 known litters of cubs.
1st Known Litter: 1997[]
1997: 2 Spring Cubs
236 Milkshake was initially identified in 1997 with 2 Spring Cubs, her 1st Known Litter
1998: 1 Remaining Yearling
2nd Known Litter: 2000[]
2000: 3 Spring Cubs, 2nd Known Litter
2001: 3 Yearlings, 2nd Known Litter
604 Little & 608 DNA Analysis Confirmed
3rd Known Litter: 2003[]
2003: 4 Spring Cubs
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with 4 spring cubs, her 3rd known litter. There is speculation that 94 may be one of the offspring from this litter. Mike Fitz' October 10, 2018 11:03 comment : "It's possible that 94 was only 5.5 years old when she was first identified in 2008 with spring cubs. Although the bear monitoring staff at the time wasn't sure of her age, their notes indicate that 94 might have been an offspring of 236 Milkshake from a 2003 litter. Will Troyer, during his studies on Brooks River bears in the 1970s, documented one female bear ("Sister") giving birth at age 4."
2004: 4 Yearlings, but lost 2 Yearlings During the 2004 Season
236 Milkshake returned to the Brooks River with the 4 yearlings from her 2003 litter. The smallest yearling was separated from the family at Brooks Falls on June 29, 2004 or June 30, 2004 and not seen again afterwards.
2005: 236 Successfully Weaned Two 2.5 Year-Old Offspring
236 Milkshake is believed to have successfully weaned the 2 remaining offspring from her 2003 litter in the spring of 2005. 94 is speculated to be one of these offspring.
4th Known Litter: 2007[]
2007: 2 Spring Cubs
2008: 2 Yearlings
5th Known Litter: 2010[]
2010: 4 Spring Cubs
2011: 2 Remaining Yearlings, But Lost Both Offspring During 2011 Season
236 Milkshake, in her mid 20s, returned to the Brooks River with only 2 remaining yearlings from her 2010 litter. 2011 yielded a low salmon run at Brooks River / in the Bristol Bay region. 236 struggled to feed herself and her offspring. 236 Milkshake lost both of these remaining yearlings during the 2011 season. 236 Milkshake was last observed in 2011.
Known Relatives:[]
Mother: Unknown
Father: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Offspring:
2000 Litter: 604 Little & 608 , DNA Analysis Confirmation
DNA analysis has confirmed that 236 Milkshake is the mother of 604 Little and 608. 219 One-Toe is the father of these two 236 Milkshake offspring, also confirmed via DNA analysis.
2003 Litter: 94 , Speculated
There is speculation that 94 may be one of the offspring from this litter. Mike Fitz' October 10, 2018 11:03 comment : "It's possible that 94 was only 5.5 years old when she was first identified in 2008 with spring cubs. Although the bear monitoring staff at the time wasn't sure of her age, their notes indicate that 94 might have been an offspring of 236 Milkshake from a 2003 litter. Will Troyer, during his studies on Brooks River bears in the 1970s, documented one female bear ("Sister ") giving birth at age 4."
Genetics Study Samples Obtained:[]
Genetics study samples must have been otained from 236 Milkshake at some point. information in the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks River states "DNA analysis has confirmed that she (236 Milkshake) is the mother of #604 (Little) and #608". It is not known to us when this genetics study sample was obtained or by whom.
A special thank you to KCanada for to NPS photos from the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook.
A special thank you to Xander-Sage for the gif created from the NPS photos in the 2012 Brown Bears of Brooks Camp iBook.