Grizzly Bear & Bison Relations

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GRIZZLY BEAR PREDATION ON A BULL BISON IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK.


PDF LINK:

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GRIZZLY BEAR PREDATION ON A BISON CALF IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK


PDF LINK:

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Excerpts from, The Time of the Buffalo (1972) by Tom McHugh:


On rare occasions, even wolves and grizzly bears—normally classed as predators of buffalo—have been killed by their own prey. George Catlin once painted a scene of a lone bull being attacked by a circle of wolves. In notes accompanying the painting, he explained how some of the wolves, "less lucky, had been crushed to death by the feet or the horns of the bull." Two other writers detailed similar episodes in which wolves attacked bulls only to be fatally gored themselves.

A buffalo bull has also been known to battle a grizzly bear to death, if we can accept two startling accounts by Indian witnesses. In both episodes, a bear lay in wait on a rise above a trail, pouncing on a cow as the herd passed underneath, and a bull eventually dispatched the assailant after prolonged battle. One of the Indians described the fracas he saw:

The bull would charge the bear, and when he struck him fairly would knock him off his feet, often inflicting severe wounds with his sharp horns. The bear struck at the bull, and tried to catch him by the head or shoulders, and to hold him, but this he could not do. After fifteen or twenty minutes of fierce and active fighting the bear had received all the punishment he cared for, and tried to escape, but the bull would not let him go, and kept up the attack until he had killed his adversary. Even after the bear was dead the bull would gore the carcass and sometimes lift it clear of the ground on his horns. He seemed insane with rage, and, notwithstanding the fact that most of the skin was torn from his head and shoulders, appeared to be looking about for something else to fight.

It is easier to confirm a more recent account of such a battle in the records of two Yellowstone Park rangers. While patrolling the Lamar Valley in June of 1951, the men discovered the mutilated carcass of a medium-sized female grizzly, dead for no more than three or four days. Both sides of the body were badly bruised and bloodied; all the ribs on one side were broken; and the belly was punctured by two holes whose size and spacing suggested the horns of a young buffalo. Near the carcass were several patches of buffalo fur and numerous hoof-prints, but no dead or injured victim was ever found. The rangers concluded that a buffalo had struggled with and "in all probability killed" the grizzly.


pp. 213-214.




Among the scattered historical accounts on grizzly predation, the best evidence comes from the journals of Lewis and Clark. In one provocative entry, Lewis wrote: "These bears resort the river where they lie in wate at the crossing places of the game for Elk and weak cattle (buffalo); when they procure a subject of either they lie by the carcass and keep the wolves off until they devour it."

The journals also reveal much by what they leave unsaid. Buffalo, wolves, and grizzlies ("white bears") are frequently listed as inhabitants of the same regions, but wolves alone are depicted as constant predators: "We have seen great numbers of buffalo, and the usual attendants of these last, the wolves, who follow their movements and feed upon those who die by accident or who are too poor to keep pace with the herd; we also wounded a white bear . . ." Many of the predatory efforts undertaken by the bears were against the expeditionaries themselves, some of whom had narrow escapes from the beasts. "The White bear have become so troublesome to us," wrote Lewis, "that I do not think it prudent to send one man alone on an errand of any kind ... I have made the men sleep with their arms by them . . ."

There are only two or three eyewitness accounts of grizzly predation against buffalo. Of these, the most detailed comes from a Canadian journal:

One bear [grizzly] killed at Hand Hills [Alberta] in 1877 required eight shots before he was disabled. His feet were eight inches across, and were armed with claws five inches long. He was caught in the act of killing a buffalo cow, and had just cracked her spine when he received the first shot. When stretched, his hide was as large as a buffalo bull . . .

Apparently grizzlies were capable of killing buffalo, but did so rarely.
Whether buffalo fall to grizzlies or to wolves, their end by such predation is usually expeditious and violent; the predators operate with tooth and claw and gorge themselves on the spot.

p. 229.




More to come....

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Excerpt from, The Bison of Yellowstone National Park (1973) by M.M. Meagher:



Predation

There was no direct evidence for predation on the present herd. Circumstances suggested a grizzly kill of an apparently healthy, mature bull in mid-summer of 1967. Remains of bone and hair indicated the bull died at the edge of a small group of trees in a meadow, south of Hayden Valley. The lack of broken bones, the relatively young age of the animal, and the site of death all suggested a grizzly (Ursus horribilis) might have killed the bull. McHugh (1958) also mentioned indirect evidence of grizzly predation. Dave Pierson (1968 pers. comm.) believed both black {Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears would take calves in the spring, but calf counts during the study do not indicate much loss. However, such loss might have occurred at or immediately after birth, before the calves were observed with the cows.


p. 72.



More to come....

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Extracted follow up to Tom McHugh, Social Behavior of the American Bufallo (Bison, bison, bison) 1958; in Zoologica: New York Zoological Society [43: 1]:


Predators.

Grizzly bears commonly hunted over meadows in Hayden Valley. They usually came out of the timber at dusk and returned within a few hours after dawn, yet were seen during all hours of the day, particularly in spring or fall. When a female grizzly and three cubs hunted and captured a hidden elk calf within 700 feet of a buffalo herd of 78, the herd paid no attention to the bears. Catlin (1876-1: 254), Goodwin (1939: 369) and Soper (1941: 403) noted a similar indifference to wolves close to the herd. No definite grizzly kills were ever discovered in Hayden Valley, although the bears obviously had devoured one old bull, the cause of whose death was unknown, and another bull killed in battle. Approximately one per cent, of the buffalo in Hayden Valley had one shriveled rear leg, an injury that could have been caused by bears. Four buffalo were seen with claw-mark scars on their flanks or legs, probably from grizzlies.

Way (1951) presented circumstantial evidence for the killing of a grizzly by a buffalo in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park on about June 7. The badly mutilated carcass of a mature female grizzly bear was discovered three or four days after death.



p.36.



More to come....

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Follow up extract to M.M. Meagher in Big game of North America: ecology and management (1978) Chapter 8, Bison:




Predation

The physical structure of bison, with massive front quarters, and its stolid temperament, suggest that as a species it evolved to face danger rather than flee, making them quite vulnerable to the modern rifle. Only two predators other than man have been associated with bison: the grizzly bear and wolf. We cannot evaluate fairly their historic relationships to the bison, but instances of grizzly predation must have been opportunistic and infrequent. Judging by some accounts, bears were losers as often as winners in direct conflicts with bison. Rare circumstantial evidence for grizzly predation in Yellowstone has been found. More important, winter-killed bison provide carrion for grizzlies emerging from winter dens.

Wolves prey on bison in Wood Buffalo National Park. They act as culling agents, but do not regulate the bison population. At present, wolves are too few in Yellowstone to exert significant predation; historical records suggest that elk would be more likely prey in this locale.


p. 126.


More to come....

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Ronald M. Nowak in Walker's Mammals of the World Sixth Edition (1999) states the following:

According to Banfield (1974), the usual gait is a slow walk. U. arctos is capable of moving very quickly, however, and can easily catch a black bear. Its long foreclaws are not adapted for climbing trees. It has excellent senses of hearing and smell but relatively poor eyesight. The brown bear has great strength. Banfield saw one drag a carcass of a horse about 90 meters. In another case, a 360-kg grizzly killed and dragged a 450-kg bison.

p. 686.




A.W.F. Banfield in The Mammals of Canada (1974) communicates the following:

Only the grizzly bear, the mountain lion, and the wolf are strong enough to kill a bison. Before the advent of Europeans to this continent, the grizzly and the wolf were abundant on the prairies, but it is doubtful that the mountain lion was an important predator. Even a pack of wolves cannot easily overcome a lone bison; they are forced to prey upon lone senile bulls, orphaned or strayed calves, and crippled, wounded, or diseased animals.

p. 406.





In his 1999 publication, The grizzly bears of Yellowstone: their ecology in the Yellowstone ecosystem, 1959-1992; renowned author John Johnson Craighead communicates the following:

Bison

We did not observe grizzlies killing healthy bison, calves or adults, nor have we found records in the literature. But we did record several incidents where malnourished adult bison were killed. This generally occurred in the spring when the animals were immobilized by malnutrition and close to death.


p. 265.


More to come....

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The following is translated from Russian to English:

"... In 1844, appeared in the press first reported the attack bear on the bison. It happened on the stretch of road between the Bialowieza and Ore. In an area of 200 square meters of earth was trampled and covered with blood. As the winner of this battle was a bear , many found him responsible for the tragedy. Meanwhile, Eugene Vishnyakov in his book, album, published in St. Petersburg in 1894, suggested that most likely, the bison attacked the bear, because bison-Odintsov have an aggressive temperament and is not tolerate around any other animals. Based on the words of eyewitnesses of the battle, Vishnyakov says that bison dragged the bear on their shoulders until, until completely not weakened, becoming a regular prey animal.

In fact, information about the battles bears bison in the forest there were often enough. Bears killed animals found in 1832, 1841, 1846 (5 bison), 1869 (2 bison), 1870, 1871, 1873, respectively. Therefore, for the sake of the relic of the animal to a bear hunt was open again, quickly reducing its strength. Bear in the forest became endangered animals. From 1873 to 1878 was killed just three bears, and all subsequent hunts among the list of trophy bear is not mentioned. Most likely, the 1878 can recognize the disappearance last year of a bear in the Bialowieza Forest, while managing the forest of Michael Andrievsky until 1895 included in a list of prices for hunting in the forest (50 rubles for a shooting in the den, and 25 rubles - outside it). But he did it, most likely, by inertia, eliminating the bear from the list only in 1896. .. "


bp21.org.by/ru/art/a090430.html


Nice find Warsaw.

[warsaw]

Nice find Warsaw.
www.encyklopedia.puszcza-bialowieska.eu/index.php?dzial=zdjecie&id=1131

Yes.




bearbialowieza.ble.pl/

[warsaw]

Zubryzca = female bison
500-kilogramowej = 500 kg


c.500 kg female bison killed by a brown bear.
The method of attacking/killing
translate.google.pl/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=pl&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=pl&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lasy.gov.pl%2Fzakladki%2Faktualnosci%2Fzubr-ofiara-niedzwiedzia


Epilogue:

The victim

www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/4825872/1024/Anonymous/kd14.jpg
[/img]





The killer:

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Excellent find Warsaw. Thanks.

[warsaw]

A grizzly bear, left, sits atop a carcass in Yellowstone National Park in late April 2007 as a Mollie's pack wolf rests nearby. Grizzly bears usurp about 80 percent of the Mollie's pack kills in Pelican Valley between March and October, researchers have found.
Photo courtesy Yellowstone Wolf Project

billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/image_3a274c8b-145c-54c0-a4ff-332b44611f6f.html

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A remarkable encounter and equally an impressive recounting of the event (remarkable detail):


I drove east along the road, observing the movement of the bears and bison approximately 15 meters away. After trotting about 50 m, the bison broke into a full run. The adult bear then chased the bison at full speed. At the crest of the hill above the Yellowstone River, the bear swiped its paw across the hindquarters of the bison, knocking the bison's back legs out from under it. The bison began to slide down the steep embankment of the hill on its back. After striking a tree with considerable force on its front quarters, the inverted bison continued to slide toward a pedestrian boardwalk at the base of the hill. The grizzly leaped onto the stomach of the inverted bison and skidded down the hill on top of it while attempting to bite at the bison's neck. The bear and bison came to a stop at the base of the hill on the pedestrian boardwalk. The bear continued to bite and pull at the bison's neck while the bison tried to get to its feet. The bison managed to stand and struggled to remain standing, but the bear continued to pull the bison back down to the ground. When the bison did stand, its hind legs buckled under its own weight. The bear took advantage of this and jumped onto the back of the bison, biting and clawing at its back, inflicting a number of bite and claw wounds around the bison's hump and lower back. With a quick head motion, the bull managed to free itself from the bear and stand up a second time.

At this time, I observed that the bison's left front leg was broken. This injury may have occurred when the bison slammed into the tree while sliding down the steep hill. The bison continued attempts to stand and fought off the bear with its head and horns for several minutes. The bear stood up on its hind legs and swiped at the bull's head with its paws. The bison reacted by rearing up, which caused it to slide backward into a ditch adjacent to the Fishing Bridge boardwalk. Being in the ditch appeared to put the bison in a better position to fend off the bear with its head and horns.

At this time the 2 cubs, which had been observing their mother from on top of the hill, came down and reunited with her near the bison. The bison continued to struggle to keep up-right and bled profusely from its back and hindquarters. The adult bear attacked the bison several more times, but the bison was able to use its head and horns to repel the attacks. The cubs did not participate in these attacks but remained nearby. On 5 occasions the bears left the area and were no longer visible to me, then came back and the adult attacked the bull again, but was unable to kill it. The interval between attacks increased from approximately 5 minutes to several hours between return visits.

At approximately 1800 the bears left and did not return, enabling me to investigate the bison in the ditch. The bison was startled upon my approach and attempted to climb out of the ditch. It fell down and was unable to pull itself out of the mud. Due to the proximity of the bison to the main road and concerns for the safety of visitors and a construction crew working on the road bridge adjacent to the attack site, park management decided to dispatch the bison and move the carcass. After shooting the bison, the carcass was moved 0.9 km away to a location remote from public use areas. Managers hoped that the bear family group would follow the scent trail to where the carcass was disposed and scavenge the remains.

The next morning (24 September), an adult female grizzly with 2 cubs returned to the area where the attack occurred. The 3 bears were identical in size and color to the bears that had encountered the bison the previous day, and I believe they were the same family group. The adult female grizzly paced, circled, and sniffed the ground as she searched the site where she had attacked the bison the day before. Several visitors saw the bears from the main road and approached them in an attempt to get pictures. As they approached, the adult bear bluff charged them and chased them back toward the road. Due to the danger that an adult female grizzly accompanied by 2 cubs posed to park visitors and bridge construction workers, the bears were hazed out of the area with cracker shells. I monitored the area where the bison carcass was moved to, but never observed the female with cubs or their tracks in the snow at the new location. Three days later, I observed a large adult male grizzly scavenging on the carcass. I observed that bear at the carcass for 5 consecutive days and then did not see it again. In that time, the grizzly consumed most of the bison. After the grizzly stopped returning to the carcass, a large male black bear (Ursus americanus) began frequenting the carcass and scavenging the remains. The black bear returned to the carcass to scavenge for several days until the carcass was entirely consumed. I did not see the female and her 2 cubs in the area again for the remainder of the season.

Tooth eruption and wear from the bison's mandible indicated it was 3!/2 years old (M. Meagher, YNP, Wyoming, USA, personal communication, 2001). Femur bone marrow was grayish-pink in color, indicating that the bull may have been in the early stages of marrow fat depletion, although not yet severely malnourished (Cheatum 1949). Visually, the bison had looked slightly thin, but there was no other evidence of poor health or injury prior to the attack or when I observed it fleeing from the bear.


Wyman, Travis. 2002. Grizzly bear predation on a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park. Ursus 13:375-376


PDF LINK (see first post) or the following hyperlink: www.bearbiology.com/fileadmin/tpl/Downloads/URSUS/Vol_13/Wyman_13.pdf

[warsaw]

A bison carcass like this one, is very important food source for Yellowstone bears. On average, approximately 79% of the calories obtained by adult male and 45% of the calories obtained by adult female grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem is estimated to come from meat.
www.nps.gov/archive/yell/tours/thismonth/spring-06/travis/carcasssurvey/photo1.htm
A Bear Management team member records data. Carcasses provide a high-quality food source for bears during early spring before most vegetation is available.

[grrraaahhh]

A remarkable account from the 1903 book Adventures with Indians and Game (Twenty Years in the Rocky Mountains).


CHAPTER XX.


Buffalo v. Bear—A Strange Contest.


Once as I was returning from a trip to some mines, or supposed mines (which had been reported rich in gold, but upon examination had proved to be worthless), and was crossing a low range in the big mountains west of Rotten Grass, my almost exhausted pony suddenly recovered his animation and sniffed the air repeatedly. Being very much fatigued, I gave no heed to his demonstrations, but pushed on a few steps farther, where a clear, running spring invited me to dismount. Soon both horse and rider were eagerly drinking from the same fountain. I fastened the pony with a lariat, removed the saddle from his tired back and left him cropping the rich bunch grass with evident relish, while I began to prepare my own repast.

Soon I heard a snorting, and, hastening toward my pony, found the former strange behavior repeated with an increased energy and a great show of fear. I looked around, could see nothing, so I returned and finished my meal, took a bath in the water and was looking over my small pack, when my pony again ran toward me in great fright. I then took my rifle and walked rapidly in the direction whence his look said he apprehended danger, and about four hundred yards away I saw a dozen buffaloes, quietly grazing near some quaking asps.

I crept up as close as I could without disturbing them, and had selected a fat calf for my victim, when a full-grown bull came tearing out of the bushes and ran toward the herd. I did not know how to account for this strange freak, and I saw him looking in the direction from which he came, shaking his ponderous head in an angry manner. Only a short time was given me to wonder what would happen next, when a full-sized grizzly bounded out after the bull and rushed toward the herd.

The cows began to form a circle, while the calves were rushing wildly around. The latter were quickly surrounded by the cows, thus keeping the little fellows on the inside, as is the custom of the buffaloes when danger threatens. The bull took up his position in the rear, with a manner which indicated his determination to protect the females and their young, with his life if necessary. It was soon evident that some of the herd would become a meal for his bearship, unless they acted immediately in their own defense.

The bull saw just how matters stood, and, when the bear was almost at his heels, turned swiftly and met bruin as a mountain ram meets his antagonist. They came together with a thud, which fairly stunned them both, and they rebounded from the concussion like balls, and paused for an instant to recover from the shock. The bear then made a fresh start for the herd, but was again confronted by the bull.

The bear seemed to understand fully the motives which actuated his opponent, so he raised upon his haunches, and prepared to do battle with the bull, before he made another attempt to secure a fresh young calf. At that moment the bull lowered his head, shot forward with his tail standing straight in the air, and struck the bear full in the stomach. The bear in turn caught him around the neck and proceeded to tear the flesh from his shoulders, while the bull gave the grizzly some terrible wounds with his horns, and he finally made a desperate charge which compelled the bear to relinquish his hold, when the buffalo ran over his body and attempted to join the herd.

Wild with the rage, the bear quickly regained his footing, pursued and overtook the bull, who then turned like a flash and gave him another charge. This time bruin sprang-upon the buffalo's back, and fastened his claws and teeth in the great fellow's flesh, a surprise for which the bull was not prepared. But he was equal to the situation and showed no small skill as an imitator of the bronco bucker. The buffalo plunged first one way, then the other, while the bear held on with a death-like grip, until it also was surprised by the bull's turning a complete somersault. Before the bear could recover the bull was upon it with his feet, and buried his horns deep in its shoulder. The bear then dealt the bison a blow with its paw, which sounded far off and made the bull shake his head with pain.

All this time the herd stood awaiting orders from their leader, and, whenever there was a lull in the battle, he glanced anxiously toward them. The bear was now deeply wounded in the shoulder. The bull was fearfully mangled about the neck. The blood flowed freely from both, while great bunches of hair were scattered in every direction. The bear now made a leap for the bull's back, but was caught between the fore-legs on the horns of the latter and received a terrible wound. It was then thrown upon its back and the bull plunged over it, goring it the while with his sharp horns.

The bear seized the opportunity to catch its enemy in the flank, tearing off a great mouthful of hide, but the bull turned and jumped upon it with both fore-feet and gave the animal another wound. The bear then caught his antagonist by the back of the neck and they rolled over together. They were now in the wildest state of excitement, both suffering severe pain, each looking like a great mass of animated sand and blood. They started apart and stood within twenty feet of each other, panting like race-horses. The bear's mouth was full of hair and blood, while the bull's horns were red with gore for more than half their length, showing how deeply they had penetrated the body of the bear.

They stood apart but a few moments. The bull kept glancing toward his little family, while the bear approached one step at a time and raised itself on its hind legs, preparing to renew the conflict. I could hardly keep myself from sending a ball through the bear's worthless body, for I found myself in sympathy with the bull from the first, but I was curious to see how the affair would terminate. The battle had carried them closer and closer to the herd, and a two-year-old bull, seeing how matters stood with his defender, and burning with the desire to test his own strength, came upon the scene, pawed the ground, bowed his back, and rushed upon the bear with all his force, but was repulsed with a blow on the side of his head that turned him halfway round.

His old friend was close at hand, however, and taking advantage of the situation gave the bear another goring. The young bull kept shaking his head the while. The blow he had received had evidently stunned him, but he walked up within a few yards of the bear, turned himself sidewise, took a few steps, then flew again at his antagonist, plunged his horns into its bowels, making a gaping wound that allowed part of the entrails to fall out. Maddened with pain, the infuriated bear caught him by the hump with its claws, and tore the flesh from the back of the youngster's neck with his teeth, leaving the bones bare. The little bull, roared as though imploring mercy, while the old one came again to his rescue and struck bruin a heavy blow in the back.

I now began to feel sorry for the grizzly, as he could no longer raise himself upon his haunches, and so I gave the old bull a shot through the heart, just as he was making another charge upon his fallen foe. The bear paid no attention to the shot, but seemed determined to have satisfaction out of his remaining enemy, though the young bull seemed willing to give up the struggle and depart in peace, taking warning perhaps from the fate of his friend.

Picking himself up as best he could, bruin made another attack, dealing the young buffalo a blow on the top of its head which staggered it. The bear now lay upon his back a mass of gore, evidently dying, and the bull had received a blow from which he could not recover. I then walked up close to them, and out of sympathy shot the bear through the brain. The bull was still standing, throwing his head up and down, the blood pouring from his nose and ears, so I released him from an existence which had certainly become unendurable, and saw him stagger and fall over the body of the bear.

This was one of the bloodiest battles between animals I have ever witnessed, and was maintained on both sides with equal courage and determination. The combatants had fought with all the strength and ferocity of their savage natures. "He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day." Animals seldom possess this element of cowardice when contending for their rights, or when satisfying the demands of appetite. I stood looking upon the remains until my heart grew sick within me, then mounted my faithful pony, and was soon flying down the valley.

At nightfall I drew rein near the spot where Fort Smith used to stand, refreshed myself with a few mouthfuls of supper, and turned in on my saddle blankets for the night, under the sheltering boughs of a large cottonwood. The roar of the waters, the rustling of leaves, the cries of coyotes and the howling of wolves, robbed me of sleep and made me feel that the infernal regions could not be very far off. I fired two or three shots in a vain attempt to frighten the brutes into silence, then built a fire and lay down to rest but not to sleep. I reached Fort Custer by noon the next day, having had no adventure worth relating, save the battle I had witnessed.



Death Battle of a Buffalo and Grizzly Bear, 1902, by Charles M. Russell. Photo credit: Amon G. Carter Museum in Fort
Worth, Texas.

Charles M. Russell (1864–1926)
Death Battle of Buffalo and Grizzly Bear, 1902
Ink wash, opaque watercolor, and graphite on paper
Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, Gift of Frederick J. Adams
1961.199

This black and white opaque watercolor was reproduced as an illustration in Dr. William A. Allen’s spirited memoir Adventures with Indians and Game, or, Twenty Years in the Rocky Mountains, published in 1903. In his book Allen recalled witnessing a bloody contest between an old buffalo bull and a large grizzly bear, which had been menacing a small group of buffalo cows and calves. From horseback on a nearby hill, Allen watched the two animals clash repeatedly. The bear tore at the bull with its large claws and teeth, as the buffalo bull gored its opponent unmercifully. The bear appeared to be losing the battle when Allen decided to terminate the contest by killing both animals with his rifle.


www.cartermuseum.org/works-of-art/artist/Charles+M.+Russell+%281864-1926%29

[warsaw]

Interesting.

"The Grizzly Bear known as the Preacher in Yellowstone National Park. He is known as the Preacher because of the light hair around his neck that can be construed as a collar. This bear is also known as the Bison Killer as he is one of the few Yellowstone Grizzlies that can take down a Bison. "
"The Preacher, a huge Yellowstone Grizzly Bear strolls through the forest not far from Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. The Preacher is famous for his ability to bring down bison by himself."
www.daryl-hunter.com/Wildlife/Grizzly-Bears/12433929_zAHfX#890161335_PjhpR