Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Recently in Yellowstone a large male elk got stuck in the mud as it was trying to get a drink of water. After struggling for a whole day and night the park service decided the most humane thing was to shoot it as it was impossible, due to its location, for them to pull it out. The carcass attracted a large male grizzly who spent over a week defending "his" elk from other grizzlies while he alternatively ate and slept. I don't know if it was because he ate too much or that the carcass got a little too ripe but one afternoon it was obvious he had an upset stomach. As he began heaving you could hear the crowds sympathetic sounds which got pretty loud as the poor thing actually threw up. The only time we've ever seen a wild animal throw up was when an African vulture had eaten so much it literally couldn't take off so it threw up enough so it eventually could. Always something new in nature!
The bear that shows up briefly from 22 to 31 seconds is Jam. She is one of Blaze's grandkids, as well as the five year old daughter of Raspberry, and the sister of ten year old Snow. She was obviously looking for something to eat but was intimidated by the big male. She hung around in the area for days but as far as I know never gotten any of the elk.
You'll also notice how defensive the male grizzly is when ravens try to get some of the spoils. He left briefly to get a drink of water the ravens wasted no time in descending but didn't get so much as a scrap. Much of the time while the big male grizzly slept he did so with one paw on the elk's antlers. I wonder if he did that to warn him of the ravens?
Recently in Yellowstone a large male elk got stuck in the mud as it was trying to get a drink of water. After struggling for a whole day and night the park service decided the most humane thing was to shoot it as it was impossible, due to its location, for them to pull it out. The carcass attracted a large male grizzly who spent over a week defending "his" elk from other grizzlies while he alternatively ate and slept. I don't know if it was because he ate too much or that the carcass got a little too ripe but one afternoon it was obvious he had an upset stomach. As he began heaving you could hear the crowds sympathetic sounds which got pretty loud as the poor thing actually threw up. The only time we've ever seen a wild animal throw up was when an African vulture had eaten so much it literally couldn't take off so it threw up enough so it eventually could. Always something new in nature!
The bear that shows up briefly from 22 to 31 seconds is Jam. She is one of Blaze's grandkids, as well as the five year old daughter of Raspberry, and the sister of ten year old Snow. She was obviously looking for something to eat but was intimidated by the big male. She hung around in the area for days but as far as I know never gotten any of the elk.
You'll also notice how defensive the male grizzly is when ravens try to get some of the spoils. He left briefly to get a drink of water the ravens wasted no time in descending but didn't get so much as a scrap. Much of the time while the big male grizzly slept he did so with one paw on the elk's antlers. I wonder if he did that to warn him of the ravens?
