Bears - Sounds Wild
Yearling black bears

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Yearling black bears

In the backyard of a suburban neighborhood in Alaska, a lanky yearling black bear is stretched across a branch in a tree. The homeowner has called fish and game, concerned the bear is abandoned and hungry. It might be hungry, but it's not in trouble. Actually, it is experiencing its first days of independence. It's normal for mother black bears to "kick their cubs loose" in June - cubs that are about a year-and-a-half old.

June is mating season, and the mother bears are becoming interested in adult male bears. A mother black bear with cubs of the year, born a few months earlier during winter hibernation, won't mate this year. But a mother black bear with yearling cubs is generally ready to turn her attention away from her cubs. Sometimes the mother bear will actively chase her cubs away, and sometimes the intimidating presence of an adult male bear contributes to the breaking of the family bond. During this period it's common to see sibling yearlings together, which likely provides some comfort for siblings that have been separated from their mother.

Last year these mother bears taught their cubs what to eat, how and where to forage, and the general life skills they need to survive on their own. The young bears are eating dandelions, grasses and sedges, digging roots and eating insects. As summer progresses, berries and salmon will be available and with any luck, these yearlings will fatten up and be ready to hibernate this fall.