Pete Thomas Outdoors

Time to be on lookout for Yellowstone grizzly bears

Spring is just around the corner, and in Yellowstone National Park that means it’s time to be on the lookout for grizzly bears.

If the past few years are an indication, the first sighting of 2022 could occur any day, despite cold temperatures in the park.

In 2019, the first known sighting occurred March 8. The bear was spotted between Canyon Village and the Fishing Bridge. Paw prints from another grizzly bear were discovered days later between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction.

In 2020, the first sighting was logged March 7 near Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin.

“Now that bears are emerging from winter dens, visitors should be excited for the chance to view and photograph them, but they should also treat bears with respect and caution,” Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist, said after the sighting was announced.

In 2021, the first sighting was logged March 13 by a pilot participating in a wildlife study over an undisclosed location. The bear was interacting with wolves that were feeding on a large animal carcass.

“When bears first emerge from hibernation, they look for carcasses at lower elevations and spring vegetation in thermal meadows and south-facing slopes for nourishment,” Gunther explained.

Male grizzly bears are typically first to emerge from hibernation, beginning in early March. Momma bears with cubs leave their dens in April and early May.

Although wintry weather might persist in and around the park for the next several weeks, visitors are urged to exercise caution.

“Hikers, skiers, and snowshoers should travel in groups of three or more, carry bear spray, and make noise,” Gunther cautioned.

According to Yellowstone National Park, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear population is an estimated 728 bears. About 150 grizzly bears occupy territory inside or partially inside the park.

–Grizzly bear images are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone bison interrupt TV reporter, and it's hilarious

By Pete Thomas

A reporter for NBC Montana has gained social media fame for his hilarious – and wise – reaction during a close bison encounter inside Yellowstone National Park.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh no… I ain’t messing with you,” Deion Broxton says in the accompanying footage, after noticing the advancing herd and before ducking for cover behind the crew vehicle. “Oh no. I’m not messing with you.”

 

Bison do not appear in the footage Broxton tweeted Wednesday, which was later shared to Facebook by NBC News Montana (both clips were widely circulated). But Broxton later tweeted a clip of several bison he caught on video “once I got a safe distance away.”

It’s worth noting that bison, which can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, are the largest land mammals in North America. They’re not typically aggressive toward humans, but they’re wild and unpredictable, and warrant a wide berth.

The footage was shared to Facebook by Yellowstone National Park, which wrote: “A perfect example of what to do when approached by wildlife! Thanks Deion for putting the Yellowstone pledge into action!”

Part of the pledge, requested of all park visitors, is to treat wild animals with respect by giving them distance and staying out of their way.

Yellowstone, which incorporates portions of Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, has been in the news after announcing that it was closing indefinitely because of COVID-19 pandemic.

–Image showing Deion Broxton is used with the permission of NBC Montana; Yellowstone bison image is via ©Pete Thomas

 

Yellowstone loses two wolf pups to vehicle strike

By Pete Thomas

Yellowstone National Park has confirmed that two wolf pups found dead on a park road last month perished as a result of an automobile strike.

The black male and female pups, which belonged to the Junction Butte Pack, were hit around sunset on the road between Tower Junction and the Northeast Entrance.

The park waited for necropsy results before making the announcement. The incident remains under investigation by Yellowstone law enforcement officials.

The Junction Butte Pack, whose territory spans from Tower Junction toward Lamar Valley, is frequently observed by tourists and its close proximity to people and roads makes the younger animals vulnerable.

The park explained in a news release that, during the summer, the pack and its pups inhabited a den near a popular hiking trail. A large area surrounding the den was made off-limits, but occasional encounters with pups occurred on the trail.

Park guidelines state that tourists must remain at least 100 yards from all wolves, but some tourists ignored the rule to get closeup photos of the pups. Others illegally entered the closed area in an attempt to view the pack, according to the park.

Some of the pups apparently became accustomed to people and began to approach them on the road.

Wildlife experts hazed the pups repeatedly over the next several months in an attempt to make them afraid of people and paved roads, but such attempts are not always successful after wild animals become habituated to humans.

“Having studied these pups since birth, I believe their exposure to, and fearlessness of people and roads could have been a factor in their death,” said Doug Smith, Yellowstone’s senior wolf biologist. “Visitors must protect wolves from becoming habituated to people and roads.

"Stay at least 100 yards from wolves, never enter a closed area, and notify a park ranger of others who are in violation of these rules.”

A park spokeswoman told For The Win Outdoors on Wednesday that the Junction Butte pack currently has 18 members: 10 adults and eight pups.

The number was 21 in early summer, but a yearling male disappeared right around the time the two pups were struck and killed.

–Images showing the Junction Butte wolf pack are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Elk injures employee at Yellowstone National Park

By Pete Thomas

A Yellowstone National Park concession employee was injured Wednesday during an encounter with a cow elk.

The female employee was hospitalized after the incident in Mammoth Hot Springs, a developed area in the northwest portion of the park.

The park, as of Thursday morning, had not released her name. Park spokeswoman Linda Veress declined to disclose the nature of the woman’s injuries.

Mammoth Hot Springs, location of park headquarters, also boasts a hotel, the Albright Visitor Center, and other buildings surrounded by verdant lawns.

Elk gather in the area seeking shelter from predators and close encounters with tourists are common. During the spring, cow elk cautiously guard their young. Last spring, two tourists were injured by elk within a week.

“This time of year folks need to stay alert,” Veress told 7KBZK. “Cow elk may charge or kick.”

The Billings Gazette reported that the animal was hazed after Wednesday’s incident so it would leave the area.

Visitors are supposed to remain at least 25 yards from elk and employees receive safety training courses as part of their orientation.

Yellowstone is a spring-summer range for up to 20,000 elk. Calves are born in May and June.

–Image showing elk in Mammoth Hot Springs is courtesy of ©Pete Thomas

Yellowstone to reopen roads for spring and summer

By Pete Thomas

Yellowstone National Park has announced that select roads and concession services will reopen for spring and summer on Friday at 8 a.m.

As an added bonus for travelers this weekend, entrance fees will be waived Saturday as part of the annual National Park Week celebration.

The spring thaw is underway in the vast park, which encompasses portions of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Migratory birds are arriving, bears are waking up, bison births are occurring and, of course, geysers are blowing steam.

Roads scheduled to open include the West Entrance to Old Faithful;  Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful (through Norris), and Norris to Canyon Village.

The road connecting the North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Northeast Entrance across the park, is open year-round.

The park reminds travelers that weather can change rapidly during spring and that can affect road conditions. Visitors are urged to check the park website for updated road conditions before making daily plans.

Springtime visitors will find limited but expanding hiking opportunities, as well as cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities at higher elevations.

–Images are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park and the National Park Service

Yellowstone visitors cautioned as park logs first grizzly bear sighting of 2019

By Pete Thomas

Yellowstone National Park has logged its first grizzly bear sighting of 2019 in what represents a sure sign that spring is near.

The park stated in a news release issued Tuesday that the sighting of a large grizzly occurred last Friday between Canyon Village and Fishing Bridge.

Paw prints from another grizzly bear were observed Monday between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction.

With more bears expected to emerge from hibernation over the next few weeks, the park is urging visitors to stay alert, carry bear spray, and hike in groups.

Park guidelines recommend maintaining a distance of at least 100 yards from grizzly bears and black bears. Sightings should be reported to park rangers.

–Image is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

California woman gored by bison at Yellowstone National Park

By Pete Thomas

A woman was gored by a bison Wednesday at Yellowstone National Park, marking the third time a tourist has been injured by a wild animal at the park this month.

Kim Hancock, 59, of Santa Rosa in Northern California, was gored in the hip area at Fountain Point in the Lower Geyser Basin, according to a park news release issued Thursday. Hancock was rushed by ambulance to Big Sky Medical Center, where she was listed in good condition.

Park officials have launched an investigation, but state that Hancock and other tourists had approached within 10 yards of the bison while walking on the boardwalk. Visitors are reminded to maintain safe distances from all wild animals.

Earlier this month, two Yellowstone tourists were injured after being struck by elk, at a time when cow elk are protective of their calves.

Hancock is the second visitor to be injured by a bison in 2018.

The news release states:

“Animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. Give animals space when they’re near trails, boardwalks, parking lots, or in developed areas.

“Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk. If you can’t maintain these distances, turn around and find an alternate route.”

Yellowstone National Park spans 3,500 square miles of wilderness in Wyoming and parts of Montana and Idaho. It’s also home to hundreds of animal species, including bears, wolves, bison, elk and antelope.

–Bison images are courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Rockfall at Yosemite's El Capitan claims at least one life

By Pete Thomas

At least one person was killed Wednesday in a rockfall at El Capitan in California’s Yosemite National Park.

Another person was injured during the incident, which occurred at 1:55 p.m., according to a news release posted on the park's website. 

Park rangers were trying to transport the injured person to a nearby hospital, while rangers and Yosemite Search and Rescue assessed the situation late Monday.

The release point of the rockfall was near the “Waterfall Route” on the East Butress of El Capitan, a towering granite monolith popular among rock climbers.

Many climbers were on the face of El Capitan, or at its base in Yosemite Valley, at the time of the rockfall.

The NPS did not reveal the size of the rockfall, but stated on its website that an updated news release would be issued Thursday.

–Image showing El Capitan is courtesy of Yosemite National Park

 

 

 

Famous white wolf suffers fatal injuries in Yellowstone National Park; probe underway

By Pete Thomas

A white wolf famous among visitors to Yellowstone National Park has been euthanized after hikers found the animal dying and in shock near Gardiner, Montana.

“Staff on scene agreed the animal could not be saved due to the severity of its injuries,” P.J. White, Chief of the Wildlife and Aquatic Resources Branch, stated in a news release issued Friday.

The wolf was found Tuesday. The park is investigating what might have caused the initial trauma, and requesting information from anyone who might have witnessed suspicious behavior.

A park spokeswoman declined to elaborate on the nature of the animal's injuries, citing the ongoing investigation.

The 12-year-old female wolf was part of the Canyon Pack. She commonly ranged from the Hayden Valley to the Firehole River area in the northern end of the park.

Because of her brilliant white coat, she was sought after by visitors and photographers.

–Image is via Yellowstone National Park

Wisdom, world's oldest albatross, is a mom-to-be once more

Wisdom, who is at least 63, incubates her egg on Midway Atoll; photo by Greg Joder

By Pete Thomas/GrindTv

Midway Atoll, in the middle of the Pacific, is extremely remote but steeped in history.

It was the last link in a worldwide telegraph system that was launched with a message from President Theodore Roosevelt on July 4, 1903.

Midway was a landing site for Pan Am Clipper ships that ferried people across the Pacific. As a Naval Air Facility, it once supported more than 5,000 residents and, of course, the small coral atoll served as headquarters for the famous 1942 Battle of Midway, which turned the tide in the war against Japan.

But these days, with a staff of about 40, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge is mostly associated with its remarkable wildlife, mainly its nesting sea birds, including the world’s oldest-known banded wild bird: a Laysan albatross named Wisdom.

Wisdom preens mate; photo by Greg Joder

Wisdom, who is at least 63 years old and possibly much older, has astonished biologists yet again by returning to the atoll and laying yet another egg.

It’s remarkable given that the average life span for a Laysan albatross is 12 to 40 years. These graceful soaring birds spend most of their time at sea and face many perils, including the ingestion of plastic they mistake for prey.

But Wisdom clearly is not a typical Laysan albatross. Every year it’s a surprise merely that she has returned, and perhaps the same can be said of her younger mate (Laysan albatrosses mate for life).

This year Wisdom’s mate arrived on Midway on November 19; Wisdom was first spotted on November 22. The laying of an egg was reported Wednesday in a blog post by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Pacific Region.

It states that Wisdom has raised between 30 and 35 chicks since being banded in 1956, when she was estimated to be 5 years old.

This marks the eighth consecutive year that Wisdom and her mate have successfully bred. Soon, it’s hoped, a chick will hatch, officially making Wisdom a new mom–again.

Not that any of the other albatross will notice, however. Midway boasts 70% of the world’s breeding Laysan albatrosses. The two islands that comprise the atoll are littered with birds during the fall-winter mating and incubating season.

Wisdom's chick from last year; photo by Dan Clark/USFWS

Hatching season typically begins in mid-January, and fledging occurs from mid-June through July. That’s also when the parents leave the nest, to spend the next several months foraging at sea.

Sounds like a lot to go through for an older bird such as Wisdom, but then what does a bird know about age?

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