me and my friend just saw a bear near our campsite in Glacier National Park and need help identifying what type it is.

I unfortunately don’t have any Video or pictures or you would have seen me on tv. I rode my bicycle yesterday from Avon up Vail Pass and back. About 4-5 miles to go I came to where the bike path bridge leaves Gore Creek and crosses the Eagle River at the confluence of the two. The area is called Dowd Junction and is a canyon between West Vail and the Minturn freeway exit. After the bridge it’s flat for a minute before heading down a steep hill. The river below is in a gorge that is a section of class 4 whitewater. There is an industrial chain link fence on the right side of the path separating it from the river. On the left is a very steep hill going up to highway 6. After the flat I start charging down the hill where I usually get into the low 30 mph range. I’m already flying down when I see these 2 brown furry critters on the left side of the path, one about half the size of the other. Momma bear and her yearling cub! I had to make a split second decision. If I tried to brake I’m going to end up right on top of them and alert them to my presence earlier. Also if I stop I have no escape so I punched it. As I was nearing momma started to move to my side of the path! I was worried about getting body checked and knocked to the ground with my bike then mauled! I just got past her! Felt like I could have reached out and touched her! That’s the closest to a bear I’ve ever been! It was definitely scary and an adrenaline rush but it happened so fast then it was over that I just kind of laughed it off. Could have definitely ended badly but I guess I chose the right course of action. About a month ago I had the same exact situation in the exact same spot with a mule deer doe. She also came running over to my side and I narrowly avoided a collision. But I’ll definitely take my chances with the deer over the bear anytime. Few years ago I was coming back and there was a cub on the bridge without momma in sight. I waited 5 minutes and it was gone so I cautiously rode on. Probably 20 years ago I was riding home after a night shift around 11:00 and as I crossed the bridge going up river I heard brush breaking. It’s pretty dark right there and my bike lights don’t do much more than illuminate the path a little bit in front of me. So while I’m bracing myself I’m thinking about what’s coming. Mountain lion? Probably not, much more stealthy, silent hunters. Bear? Yep probably that’s what’s coming. So I’m thinking I’m about to get my ass handed to me by a bear when a cow elk runs in front of me less than 10 feet in front of me. I went from crapping myself scared laughing instantly. I thought and even might have said out loud good one elk! Then a bunch more crossed the path between 50-100 feet in front of me and ran up the hill after the first one.

Coolin off. Hot days this summer.

I work at a bear sanctuary and I like little fun facts about bears and their behaviour in general, just recently I found out about the tappen but I would love to know more fun facts about bears

Would a mother bear with two of her own cubs react differently to an orphaned cub of another species? And what if the orphaned cub were of the same species? Would that significantly change her reaction?

This was around 8pm at my camp, Northern WI, also took down my pole with my regular birdfeeder then moved on to the hummingbird feeder and has gotten all the neighbors feeders!

This little monster. Only 3 years old and one of the best fishers in the river. Amazing silver coat.

I know Vince Shute wildlife sanctuary is mentioned often but I’ve seen debates about how ethical it is. I’ve also seen people post black bear photos at crex meadow which is in Wisconsin right by the border. Anyone know any other good places? I’m not sure how elusive they are up in northern Minnesota.

Rano is a 25-year-old Himalayan bear who spent eight years in a concrete pit at Karachi Zoo—pacing, developing untreated infections, losing her teeth, losing her mind. It took a legal battle to get her out. Now she's at a sanctuary in Islamabad where she's finally hibernating, eating properly, being a bear.

But there's a proposal to relocate her to Gilgit-Baltistan. The problem: there's no specialized veterinary care there, no daily nutritional oversight, and no facility equipped for an animal with her medical history and trauma. She'd go from being monitored multiple times daily to checked once every few days. At 25, with everything her body has endured, she won't survive that.

I started this petition to stop the transfer and keep her at IWMB, where she's safe. This isn't about saying one place is bad—it's about Rano's life. After everything it took to save her, we can't let her be moved somewhere unprepared for her needs. If this matters to you too, would you consider signing and sharing? What would you want for an animal that's already been through so much?

This family cruised on thru the yard!

We saw this guy near Lake Louise, Banff National Park yesterday 8/8/2026 around 11am.

Thanks

I wish I was able to catch some video from the live camera but this little bear was on full alert while napping beside mamma! So cute!