Kodiak Bear Cubs

Honestly, these Kodiak Brown Bear cubs are so active and naughty it is hard to get a good photo. I tried on the last several visits there and this is the best I could do!

Taquoka, the darker cub on the left is the male. His name is Alutiiq for bear. Shaguyik, the lighter female is on the right in the water. Her name is Eskimo for ghost or shadow.

These cubs came to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center separately as orphans in November and December of 2010. They are not related, but are close in age. They will be going to a new facility in Sweden in about a year. Until that facility is ready, we are able to enjoy their antics. Dr. Jordan Schaul, a bear biologist, works daily with the cubs in order to get them used to a life in captivity. These little guys would not have made it in the wild without a mama to teach them how to hunt and fish.

Every day is a new experience watching these cubs. Just yesterday, Shaguyik almost caught a magpie, one of Alaska’s scavenger type birds. They are bold and pesky and I guess one of them just got to her. It flew off as her paw was inches away coming down on top of him. Even though they look clumsy, never underestimate the lightning speed of a brown bear.

Tags: Kodiak Brown Bears, Cubs, Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center