911 July 10, 2018 courtesy of Mike Fitz, 2018 Explore Bearcam Fellow & Former KNP&P Ranger
Adult Male ~ Believed to be 10 years old in 2018 season
Year First Identified: 2018 in July (but could possibly be 253 ~ see below)
Year Last Observed: 2022
Known Offspring Of: If this is 253, he is believed to be the offspring of 477 Sara. 477 Sara was successfully sampled in 2005 and 2006 by KNP&P Wildlife Biologist Tamara Olson so if DNA is obtained from 911 the answer to "Is 911 also 253?" could be discovered.
Genetics Study Samples Obtained: There are no known genetics study samples obtained from 911 at this time.
Identification:[]
Mike Fitz described 911 as an adult male with short, light brown fur, bald shed patches, and a pit bull-like face in 2018. Based on his size and scars alone we can accurately assume that he’s a mature adult, one who has survived many years of competition with other bears. Upon close inspection of his face, rangers noticed this bear has peculiar looking nostrils. The nostrils appear to have been injured and healed. 911 often has multiple facial scars.
Distinctive Behaviors:[]
911 prefers to fish the lip of the falls and is very proficient. He stands sideways on the lip and plants his right rear foot on a flat area. This makes his foot appear to curve upward. 911 will also fish right below the falls a bit back from the jacuzzi, often in a sitting position.
Life History:[]
2011: []
2011 Season:[]
2011.??.??: Could this be 253 (and also 911 is 911 is 253) during the 2011 season? From 3:08-4:11 into this 2011 video by Travel Adventure there is a subadult that appears to resemble 253. If this is 253 and 253 is 911, then this could be 911 in 2011.:
2018:[]
911 was seen on the cams only in July as well as by official monitoring in July.
Sometime during the 2018 season, park visitor samkindle captured this video during a visit to Brooks Camp. 911 "Split Nose" can be see on the lip of the falls at 1:08 into the video and again at 5:36 into the video:
Other 2018 videos by park visitors that 911 "Spilt Nose" can be seen are can be found at the following links:
Video #1 (911 "Split Nose" near, 775 Lefty far)
Video #2 (911 "Split Nose" near, 775 Lefty far)
Video #3 (911 "Split Nose" near, 775 Lefty far)
Park visitor Scott Heidorn captured this photo of 911 "Split Nose" in 2018.
July 2018:[]
911 "Split Nose" was initially classified and assigned the number 911 in July 2018 after being observed three times during official bear monitoring sessions. There is speculation by current and former KNP&P staff that 911 could possibly be bear 253, one of three 2008 offspring of 477 Sara . 477 Sara was successfuly sampled by former KNP&P Wildlife Biologist, Tamara Olson in 2005 and 2006. If genetics study samples are obtained from 911 in 2018 or after the answer to the question of relation to 477 Sara could be answered.
2018.07.??: Theresa Bielawski shared three July 2018 photos of 911 on 5/17/2021, #1, #2 and #3. 911 (left), not 32 Chunk, can be seen with 775 Lefty (right) fishing the lip. "Happy Monday all! And here are some Lefty pics from July 2018. Also Lefty & Chunk (911 not 32 Chunk) fishing the lip together and Lefty & Beady on the lip also. All 3 were on the lip fishing together." Theresa Bielawski shared three additional photos of 911 on 5/18/2021, #1, #2 and #3. "Here are a couple of 911 farther away and one close-up - from July 2018. With 775 & 409."
Please request Theresa Bielawski's permission prior to using her photographs!
_and_775_Lefty_(right)_July_2018_photo_by_%C2%A9Theresa_Bielawski_.02.jpg "911 (left) and 775 Lefty (right) July 2018 photo by ©Theresa Bielawski .02.jpg (767 KB)")
_and_775_Lefty_(right)_July_2018_photo_by_%C2%A9Theresa_Bielawski_.03.jpg "911 (left) and 775 Lefty (right) July 2018 photo by ©Theresa Bielawski .03.jpg (734 KB)")
_and_775_Lefty_(right)_July_2018_photo_by_%C2%A9Theresa_Bielawski_.04.jpg "911 (left) and 775 Lefty (right) July 2018 photo by ©Theresa Bielawski .04.jpg (693 KB)")
_and_775_Lefty_(far)_July_2018_photo_by_%C2%A9Theresa_Bielawski_.jpg "911 (near) and 775 Lefty (far) July 2018 photo by ©Theresa Bielawski .jpg (700 KB)")
_2018_photo_by_%C2%A9Theresa_Bielawski.jpg "409 Beadnose with 911 and 775 Lefty (left to right) 2018 photo by ©Theresa Bielawski.jpg (721 KB)")
2018.07.06 : Mike Fitz, 2018 Explore Bearcam Fellow & former KNP&P Ranger captured this photo of 911 on July 13, 2018 at 08:57 :
2018.07.07: On 7/7/2018 bear 911 was observed frantically chasing a salmon boil at Brooks Falls. He was filmed by Katmai National Park volunteer Maurice Whalen who confirmed the date. In the first video, 911 is seen in the jacuzzi area (0:08-0:30 and 0:51-2:21) using the dash and grab technique. Often times he is trying to catch fish when he already has one in his mouth.
The second video by Maurice Whalen appears to be from the riffles area. 911 continues his dash and grab technique which expends a great deal of energy and burns much needed calories.
Playful Bear, 2-for-1, Brooks Falls, Katmai National Park, 7 7 2018, filmed by KNP Volunteer Maurice Whalen.
Goldilocks shared these snapshots (#1 & #2 ) of 911 on the lip:
2018.07.08: 911 can be seen in this video by Lani H.:
2018.07.10 : Mike Fitz, 2018 Explore Bearcam Fellow & former KNP&P Ranger captured this photo of 911 on July 13, 2018 at 08:57 .
Taylor Thomas Albright captured this photo of 911 and confirmed it was taken on 7/10/2018.
Park visitor Deja also posted an Instagram photo of 911 that was likely taken in July but posted on 8/7/2018.
2018.07.11: Shel shared these snapshots (#1 , #2 , #3 , #4 , #5 & #6 ) of 911.:
Explore Recorder video from July 11, 2018. Footage of 911 begins at 4:00 into the video .:
2018.07.13 08:57: On July 13, 2018 at 08:57 Mike Fitz , 2018 Explore Bearcam Fellow & former KNP&P Ranger shared this comment on the dedicated chat (comment & live chats) comment board to begin the comment chat that day.:
".....You can begin by post your first questions below. Sometimes the volume of questions can be high, especially at the beginning of the chat, but we’ll do our best to answer them. Thanks for joining us today.
I’ll start the conversation with this note:
Over the two weeks, many mature adult males have fished Brooks Falls. Most of these bears are known from previous years, but several new or currently unrecognized mature adult males have arrived. Below I’d like to highlight just one of these bears and offer my opinion on whether it has used Brooks River before.
One adult male with short, light brown fur, bald shed patches, and a pit bull-like face has been fishing the lip of Brooks Falls this week.
Based on his size and scars alone we can accurately assume that he’s a mature adult, one who has survived many years of competition with other bears. Upon close inspection of his face, rangers noticed this bear has peculiar looking nostrils. The nostrils appear to have been injured and healed.
Last year, I wrote about bears with injured noses , and highlighted one bear who was seen in 2010 ad 2011 with an obvious nose injury. This was bear 253 in 2010 , a subadult at the time. This 9/20/2010 photo taken by DPDeming appears to be subadult 253.
253 was classified as a 2.5 year-old subadult in 2010 and bear monitors at the time thought he might be the offspring of 477 Sara. The pattern of scars on this bear’s nose closely, but not exactly, matches the injury observed on 253. A comparison between photos of 253 and the adult male with the old nostril injury suggests that 253 *could be* the “new” adult male at Brooks River and the nose injury has healed since 2011. However, the scars on the nose doesn’t exactly line up with the wounds in 253. This could mean:
1. They are two different bears, or
2. The scars could be in a different place because 253’s skull has grown since the 2010 photos.
Right now, I’m leaning toward option 1 as a more likely possibility since 253’s nose wound hadn’t fully healed by the fall of 2011. This makes me wonder, if it hadn’t healed after a year, then would have healed as fully as we see on this adult male?
It’s worth pondering though: If this is 253, then where has he been all these years?
We don’t know. The healed injury is obvious enough that I believe rangers and other staff would have noticed it if this bear had been using the river between 2012 and 2017. Perhaps 253 has always used Brooks River, but in the past he chose to visit during hours and seasons when people were not active or numerous. As Leslie Skora, Katmai’s wildlife biologist explained during yesterday’s live chat, the bear monitoring program at Brooks River covers the river thoroughly. This leads me to believe 253 chose not to use it when salmon are accessible. He was simply surviving elsewhere.
I think it’s likely that the bear monitoring staff will assign a new number for this adult male. Even though there is tantalizing evidence he could be 253, I’m not sure the evidence is conclusive enough. However, even the possibility of 253’s return after several years away is exciting. At Brooks River, we see only a small subset of Katmai National Park’s bears. The last population survey estimated about 2,200 bears live within the park and preserve. No matter how much we watch the bearcams, there will always be an air of mystery surrounding the bears’ whereabouts and behavior."
October 2018:[]
2018.10.25: Ranger Tammy Carmack confirmed that 911 was observed 3 times during official bear monitoring sessions in July 2018. Tammy shared that 911 is believed to be a 10 year old adult male. Tammy says that there is speculation that 911 could possibly be 253, one of three 2018 offspring of 477 Sara but states that there is no way to be 100% certain without DNA confirmation therefore, Tammy Carmack assigned this adult male with bear monitoring number 911.
2018.10.26: Ranger Russ Taylor commented at 10:35 with The New Bears List. 911 was included on that list:
2018.11.09: Ranger Russ Taylor commented at 13:25 with the bear totals for Brooks River 2018. 911 was observed 3 or more times during July 2018 official bear monitoring sessions, but was not observed 3 or more times during fall 2018 official bear monitoring sessions.:
"Straight from the keyboard of our bear biologist.
Here are the bear totals for Brooks River 2018.
July: 52 independent bears
32, 39, 83, 89, 94+3coy, 28, 132+1coy, 151, 171, 261, 274, 284, 402+4coy, 409, 435+2yrlg, 451+3yrlg, 477, 480, 503, 504, 603, 610, 634, 708, 717, 719, 747, 755, 775, 801, 803, 806, 807, 811, 812, 820, 821, 831, 854, 856, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911
Fall: 45 independent bears
32, 68, 83, 94+3coy, 115, 132+1coy, 171, 261, 273, 284, 402+4coy, 409, 435+2yrlg, 451+3yrlg, 480, 482+3coy, 503, 504, 602, 610, 708, 717, 719, 720, 806, 811, 812, 813+2coy, 820, 821, 831, 854, 879, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 912, 913"
2019: Adult Male[]
911 was not believed to have been seen in 2019
2020: Adult Male:[]
July 2020:[]
2020.07.07: An unknown boar with facial wounds was seen eating below Brooks Falls on 7/7/2020, video by mckate. The boar appeared very similar looking in head and body shape to 911, who has not been seen sice 2018. Could this be 911?
2020.07.09: 911 fishes the lip in this 7/9/2020 video by mckate.
Lani H 7/9/2020 video of 911 fishing the lip.
747 chases 911 off the lip, 7/9/2020 video by Lani H.
2020.07.10: 911 often liked to fish a bit back from the jacuzzi and right below the falls. 911 is seen in a close-up view in this 7/10/2020 video by mckate.
2020.07.11: 911 was seen in the early morning of 7/11/2020 at Brooks Falls, gif by jag. He was noted to have many scars, particularly around the face.
801 chases 911 across top of the falls video by Lani H.:
2020.07.14: 856 grumbles at 911, 7/14/2020 video by mckate.
2020.07.16: 911 makes a rare daytime appearance, 7/16/2020 video by mckate.
2020.07.17: 911 fishes the lip, 7/17/2020 video by Lani H. 911 was noted to change his stance when fishing the lip. He would stand a bit sideways and plant his right rear foot on a flat area. This made his foot appear to curve upwards. 911 resembles 151 Walker when he is on the lip but his body is lower to the ground and he is smaller.
2020.07.22: 503 has a little meet and greet with 913(?) and 911, 7/22/2020 video by Lani H.
2020.07.24: 911 approaches 775 Lefty, 801 then chases 911 and they have a stand off on the lip, 7/24/2020 video by Lani H.
911 approaches 775 Lefty, 801 then chases 911 and have a stand off on the lip 7 24 2020, video by Lani H-0
2020.07.25: Mazey captured 2 photos of 911's split nose on 7/25/2020.
2020.07.28: 32 Chunk approaches 151 Walker and 911 in a friendly way, 7/28/2020 video by mckate.
2020.07.29: 503 and 911 at the falls in the early morning, 7/29/2020 video by Ratna Narayan. 503 wants to play. 911 is friendly but declines a play session.
2021: Adult Male[]
Note: Unable to post any 2021 images at this time.
July 2021:[]
2021.07.12: 911 arrives to the falls for the first time in 2021, 7/12 video by mckate. 911 heads to the lip and is cautiously watched by 20 below.
2021.07.13: JG's 7/13/2021 video, 911 arrives to the falls and excitedly heads to the lip where he successfully catches fish.
2021.07.16: 911 fishes the lip of the falls, 7/16/2021 snapshot by Rolling Trouble (WA 2019).
.jpg "911 July 16, 2021 snapshot by Rolling Trouble (WA 2019).jpg (91 KB)")
2021.07.17: From left to right, 911 on the lip, 634 Popeye below and 503 in the J, 7/17/2021 gif by LunaCre.
2021.07.18: A close up of bear 911 fishing on the lip, 7/16/2021 video by JG.
2021.07.19: SgtPepper's 7/19/2021 snapshot of 911 on the lip.
2021.07.20: 911 fishes below the falls, also a favorite spot for him, 7/20/2021 video by JG. 911's multiple scars are quite visible in this close up view.
In a 2nd 7/20/2021 video by JG, 856 displaces 911 who is on the conveyer.
2021.07.21: 856 confronts 911, 7/21/2021 video by JG. 911 is seen walking above the falls from the far side. 856 climbs up from the far pool and chases him. Other bears scatter but the female enforcer (128 Grazer) also feels the need to get into the act.
This is 911 (not 151 Walker) in this 7/21/2021 video by Ratna Narayan. This was the last date that 911 was seen in 2021.
The gorgeous Walker on the lip Explore.org 7-21-2021
911 (not 151 Walker) on the lip, video by Ratna Narayan
2022: Adult Male[]
July 2022:[]
911 appears on the list of Bears Monitored in July 2022.
2022.07.02: 911 was first observed on 7/2/2022. Truman Everts captured some wonderful photos. Truman Evert's 7/2/2022 photo of 911. 911 can be seen resting at the falls. In this close up view, 911's healed nostril injury is clearly seen. Truman Everts 7/2/2022 photo of 911 and a zoomed in photo of his nose. "Bear 911, leisurely lounging by the Falls Platform, deciding if he wants to take part in the dance...Why is he sometimes called "Splitnose?"
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
JG's 7/2/2022 video of 911 fishing the lip and exploring the far pool.
911 does some early morning fishing in this 7/2/2022 video by mckate.
Viewer 7/2/2022 snapshots by Sailor Moon, Bearoplane_747 and Shel_.
2022.07.04: 911 (right) fishes the lip with young female 146, 7/4/2022 gif by LunaCre. Scooch created this gif of 911 successfully fishing on the lip with 634 Popeye below the falls (p 21:02).
Jen Schneider's 7/4/2022 video, 911 catches a fish in slo-mo.
2022.07.05: 911 endures 128's wrath to get a spot on the lip, 7/5/2022 video by JG.
Cam viewer and Brooks Camp visitor Truman Everts captured a 7/5/2022 altercation between 128 Grazer and 911. It appears that it may have been at the same time as JG's 7/5/2022 video above. Truman Everts photos, #1 and #2. Cam viewer radioquiet commented regarding photo #2, "I saw some of Truman's other 911 photos posted but I don't think I saw this one posted yet. 911 getting grazered. Its a nice look into his mouth. You can see that upper left (his left) canine is broken with a deep groove on one side. His lower right canine also looks like its taken some damage too, but not as bad as that upper canine.
Please request Truman Everts' permission prior to using his photographs!
2022.07.07: 911 catches and eats a fish on the lip Brooks Falls, 7/7/2022 video by Jen Schneider.
2022.07.08: 911 (on the lip) and 480 Otis (below) both catch fish, 7/8/2022 gif by LunaCre.
2022.07.09: 911 fishes the lip, 7/9/2022 video by twelve22. 911 is all business when he is at the falls. He fishes, gets his fill and then departs.
151 Walker does a sneak attack on 911 "Split Nose" on the lip of the falls gif created by Rae_Rae (p 19:43).:
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2023: Adult Male[]
Known Relatives:[]
If 911 is 253:[]
Mother: 477 Sara , Speculated[]
If 911 is 253, he is believed to be the offspring of 477 Sara. 477 Sara was successfully sampled in 2005 and 2006 by KNP&P Wildlife Biologist Tamara Olson so if DNA is obtained from 911 the answer to "Is 911 also 253?" could be discovered.
Littermates: 251 & 261 , Speculated[]
If 911 is 253, then 251 and 261 are 911's (253) suspected littermates..
Genetics Study Samples Obtained:[]
2018: Awaiting Information from Rangers[]
We are awaiting information from the rangers on genetcs study samples obtained in 2018 by Ranger Michael Saxton.