[koja48]

http://nrmsc.usgs.gov/research//video/Kendall_O2007carcasswolfbear

Looked like the wolf was ready to play . . . or eat.

[eliphalet]

Interesting video, makes you wonder a bit.

Wife showed me a still of the video from the Boise paper today.

[Tom Krein]

Thanks for the link! That Wolf was pretty funny!

Tom

[uk roe hunter]

so was that wolf just playing with the bears? the female bear didn't seem very worried at times leaving the cubbs together with the wolf about?

[koja48]

My personal opinion is that the wolf was being playful. I was amazed at the aggression the one cub displayed.

[svtruth]

did not have its hackles raised.
Playing?

[H&Hhunter]

Just shows you how big an adult wolf is.

[jlpskydive]

That's what I was thinking. Man that thing was huge.

[Polishrifleman]

Man are they fast!

[phoglund]

That wolf didn't seem to concerned about the bears either...although he wasn't about to stay and tussle either.

[telkontar]

I love to watch puppies play, even big ones. My huskies play the same way sometimes - like teasing a younger brother. My son will watch this for an hour tonight. Thanks for posting it!

[Gaiudo]

I couldn't believe the size of that wolf.

Momma bear obviously didn't like it when he tagged the cubs. Otherwise, wasn't too concerned. And wow, that last time she charged the wolf, she was MOVING.

[nmlongbow]

I really don't think that wolf was playing. It was trying to get one of those cubs away from mom for a quick lunch.
Those little bears are tough especially for their age.

[timmyb21]

That wolf was a jerk! It was still funny...

[Grizfire]

what a great video. I loved how the wolf kept making snarling noises when it would nip at the cubs.


I wonder where the rest of the pack was. When I lived in Montana, I've heard from a few people that they have seen a single wolf play with their dogs, and when the dog gets lured away, the rest of the pack would jump it.
Don't know if these stories are true though.

[borntwice]

I can't believe that Momma Grizzly didn't kill that wolf. I did see how Momma did allow her cub(s) to defend themselves, and probably gave her cubs a lesson that way. In any case, it just goes to show that there are animal wolves, and there are also human wolves.

The human wolf looks for the unprotected, innocent individual. The human wolf must usually be convinced to stop what he is doing, by a person with a gun. The human wolf is the most dangerous of predators, and the most unpredictable.

[Cosmoline]

Maybe the wolf was counting coup by biting the backside of the cubs. I've seen dogs do the same thing with cats and other dogs. They sneak up, give a bite and give chase. It may be part play, part territorial but it definitely seems to be something in the canine makeup. In this case the wolf may be irritating the bear to encourage her to leave his turf, because he could never win a head-to-head fight. And he's just fast enough to get beyond momma bear. At a local wildlife park they keep coyotes with the brown bear to keep the bear exercised.

I've heard from a few people that they have seen a single wolf play with their dogs, and when the dog gets lured away, the rest of the pack would jump it. Don't know if these stories are true though.

It's no myth. That pattern repeated itself this past winter on some trails near town here, and up in Fairbanks. It was a bad year for the wolves so they took to coming in and snatching pet dogs. They would indeed lure dogs away by mocking play posture, then the whole back tore them up like velociraptors. A number of people lost their dogs that way. It's possible this wolf was trying to get a cub cut off from the others to eat it, but I don't see any other wolves around. Besides given that the dead animal had just been there it would make sense if the wolf was just pressuring the competition away. Who knows, they're very smart animals. Way smarter than bears and as a pack almost as smart as a human. Maybe this was an omega just trying to make friends. There was one in Juneau that would come in and play with the dogs without killing them. He even did some pug bowling on the ice.