Grizzly Chases a Black Bear Up a Tree in Glacier National Park
A grizzly bear was spotted chasing after a black bear in the woods near St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park on June 13.
Molly Meiches, who captured the video while visiting Glacier National Park with her fiancé, told Storyful that she decided to pull over when she saw a crowd of people looking towards the lake and was surprised by what she saw.
Stunned by the sight of two bears in such close proximity to the other, Meiches and her fiancé waited around for about an hour and watched as the grizzly meandered up a small ridge and quickly sprinted toward the black bear, who rapidly ascended the tree while the grizzly tried to follow.
“To experience – and capture – the moment of the chase was truly incredible, awe-inspiring, and a once in a lifetime moment,” said Meiches.
After the chase, Meiches said that the grizzly rested in the shade of a nearby fallen tree and the black bear remained in the tree for several hours.
A nearby park ranger told Meiches that he had never seen this type of interaction between a black and grizzly bear, but speculated the grizzly could have been protecting its food source and searching for ground squirrels or ants.
Glacier National Park shared the video to their Facebook page and noted that the short, sharp claws of the black bear are ideal for tree climbing whereas the grizzly has longer, duller claws that are poor for climbing. Credit: Mollie Meiches via Storyful
