Dead grizzly cub found in Lamar, likely killed by the Druids
Aug. 26, 2001
Recently biologists recovered the carcass of a dead grizzly cub in the territory of the Druid Peak Pack. The bear had been chewed on by wolves, and because there was hemorrhaging around the bites this means the bear was alive when the wolves bit it.
This dead cub, is the second grizzly cub probably killed by wolves. Earlier this year a similarly dead cub was found in the Hayden Valley, in proximity to the Nez Perce Pack. Perhaps size of the pack has something to do with it. The Druids and the Nez Perce are the two largest packs in the Park.
I wonder if the cub was killed, was in the incident described in early August by John Harryman (see the update in red at the bottom of the page).
Dr. Doug Smith, head of the Yellowstone Wolf Team, speculated that the cub might have already been injured, perhaps by boar (male griz). Boar often attack cubs, which is one reason why mother griz are so aggressive protective of their cubs.
I wrote about the possibility of wolves killing grizzlies back in June 1997. It is also possible that grizzlies have killed a wolf or two in unrecorded backcountry mortality of uncollared wolves. By large, however, grizzlies have greatly benefited by the extra animal protein the wolves have provided, and grizzlies seem to almost always win the carcass. One report said the grizzly wins in Yellowstone about 90 per cent of the time.
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