大象传媒

Night after night, army cutworm moths have been escaping the heat of a distant prairie. They have been flying in on favourable winds, hiding away in rock crevices in the mountains. This is why the grizzly bears climb to the barren peaks. Two miles up they begin to search for the moths. It鈥檚 the end of summer and the last snow of winter holds on only here, it offers a few refreshing mouthfuls for travel weary cubs. Many of these bears learned about this site from their mothers as a part of local bear tradition. The family sets to work finding moths, digging into the loose rock. Though each moth is very small, a bear that makes a successful strike can harvest up to forty thousand in a single day. That鈥檚 twenty thousand calories and vital weight gained for winter. Having spent all summer avoiding males the mother now finds one much too close for comfort. Perhaps he鈥檚 seeking a mate but he is unwelcome. Leaving her cubs she confronts the male head on. They slide down the scree slope, rolling over each other and growling. As the female approaches to see him off again, she realises she has been injured. A damaged jaw could be a disaster for her and her family. Clearly in pain, she leads the anxious cubs to high ground away from the male. She nurses them to calm and reassure them. The injury does not seem serious but she decides to lead her family back down from the mountain. This will be the last time these cubs feed here as a family, by next year they will be independent, ready to face their world alone.