Young brown bear needed a family, so ‘aunt’ adopted her, adorable Alaska photos show
A young brown bear in need of a family was adopted by her “aunt,” and now the little family is inseparable, officials said.
They spend their time fishing, traveling and sleeping together along the Brooks River in Katmai National Park and Preserve, National Park Service officials said in a July 24 Facebook post.
Officials posted a photo of the adoptive siblings snuggling by the river after a swim.
“Adoption in bears is rare, but this season, we have the privilege of seeing this phenomenon among our Brooks River bears,” officials said. “...It seems like the new siblings are getting along just fine.”
The cubs’ mothers — “bear 910” and “bear 909” — are sisters who had their cubs during different years, but then decided to raise them together in 2022. They returned as a family this spring, until “bear 909” separated from her 2.5-year-old cub, officials said.
But the young bear wasn’t ready to be on her own. She stayed with her aunt and her yearling cousin, who eventually adopted her into their family.
Someone commented on the post saying they had read that the bear nursed from her aunt, which officials confirmed.
“She has been! It’s official!” officials said.
Those who’ve kept up with the bears nicknamed them Bean or Little Bean and Twiggy.
“It has been such a joy watching these cousins turn into siblings,” someone said.
Someone else pointed out they’ll have each other if ‘bear 910’ separates from them next year.
“Nature is beautiful and sometimes cruel but always pure,” someone commented.
Katami National Park and Preserve is in the south part of Alaska, approximately 265 miles southeast of Anchorage.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Young brown bear needed a family, so ‘aunt’ adopted her, adorable Alaska photos show."
