The Original Rosie Black Bear
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 11:14 pm
After seeing everyone's pix of Rosie and her cubs over by Tower this year, I thought that some of you might enjoy seeing and meeting the very first Rosie and her two cubs, Yogi and Boo Boo. My most memorable encounter with Rosie happened in September 2004.
Hubby and I were visiting some friends who were hosting at the Tower CG at the time so we decided to camp there for the night. It was shortly after 2pm on September 9, 2004 when Rosie unexpectedly, showed up at the CG with her two cubs, Yogi and Boo Boo. Like most bears in September, Rosie and her cubs were pigging out, preparing for their upcoming winter hibernation. In an effort to fatten up her cubs, Rosie paraded them through the campground, sniffing every camp site, digging through all the fire pits. From the fire pits they then went on to tipping over all the water jugs and coolers that were sitting out in the open on the picnic tables and benches. With only 3 people around (the host, me and my hubby), the 3 bears seized the moment. After all, a yummy feast was at hand and hardly anyone was around.
After snarfing down a bag of chips and licking the water from the water jugs, Rosie proceeded to take the cubs for a leisurely walk along the CG road where she showed the cubs another new survival lesson... how to strip berries off the wild rose bushes. The cubs watched Rosie as she stripped and ate the berries. Then she grunted at the cubs ordering them to do the same thing. So Yogi and Boo Boo stood up on their hind legs and stretched as high as they could, stripping the berries from the top to the bottom of the bushes....just like mama. But poor little Boo Boo. He tried and he tried but he was such a tiny cub, that he kept losing his balance and would fall over, every time he got too high on his hind legs. The memory of that afternoon will always be with me. It's not often that I get such an intimate three-hour solo photo session with a black bear mother and her cubs. I was so taken with Rosie that I have followed the comings and goings of some of the Yellowstone bear families in the Tower and Slough Creek areas ever since.
Several Rosie's have come and gone since that lazy September afternoon at the Tower CG back in 2004. But the original Rosie will always have a special place in my heart. IMO, she was the epitome of what a Yellowstone black bear mother should be. Not only was Rosie a very large and formidable bear in her own right but she was unbelievably tolerant. There was also a very gentle and loving side to Rosie that I will never ever forget. So, this post is for you, Rosie. Even though I miss you, I will always remember and admire you because you set the example for all the Tower bear mothers that have followed in your foot steps, sharing your name.
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Rosie was viciously attacked and fatally injured by large male black bear several years ago while protecting her cubs of the year. If I recall correctly, a local ranger said that Rosie was close to 19 years old when she died and had given birth to numerous cubs in her lifetime. I'm not sure what happened to Yogi after our first meeting at the Tower CG in September 2004. For all I know, he might still be in the Tower area. But Boo Boo, being so small and and so dependent on Rosie, couldn't make it on its own and died the following winter. While I was sad to hear about Boo Boo, it makes my heart smile knowing that a new Rosie with cubs is in the Tower area this year. Can't wait to see them.
It took me a while to find my original 2004 pix of the original Rosie. But they're posted at my Flickr site if anyone would like to see one of the most famous black bear mothers of Yellowstone. The pix were taken on September 9, 2004 at the Tower CG and appear at the start of my Flickr photo stream. Here's the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigskywild/
For those of you who remember the original Rosie and were fortunate enough to get to know and photograph her over the years, I'm sure that you probably remember and miss her as much as I do. Still, it's comforting to know that Rosie's genes and lineage live on, along with our special memories of her. So this post is for you, Rosie. You were quite a gal and an amazing black bear mother. More importantly, you were a classic example of the powerful magic and majesty of the Yellowstone bears. And for those of us who were fortunate enough to get to know you on a more personal level, we will never forget you!
Hubby and I were visiting some friends who were hosting at the Tower CG at the time so we decided to camp there for the night. It was shortly after 2pm on September 9, 2004 when Rosie unexpectedly, showed up at the CG with her two cubs, Yogi and Boo Boo. Like most bears in September, Rosie and her cubs were pigging out, preparing for their upcoming winter hibernation. In an effort to fatten up her cubs, Rosie paraded them through the campground, sniffing every camp site, digging through all the fire pits. From the fire pits they then went on to tipping over all the water jugs and coolers that were sitting out in the open on the picnic tables and benches. With only 3 people around (the host, me and my hubby), the 3 bears seized the moment. After all, a yummy feast was at hand and hardly anyone was around.
After snarfing down a bag of chips and licking the water from the water jugs, Rosie proceeded to take the cubs for a leisurely walk along the CG road where she showed the cubs another new survival lesson... how to strip berries off the wild rose bushes. The cubs watched Rosie as she stripped and ate the berries. Then she grunted at the cubs ordering them to do the same thing. So Yogi and Boo Boo stood up on their hind legs and stretched as high as they could, stripping the berries from the top to the bottom of the bushes....just like mama. But poor little Boo Boo. He tried and he tried but he was such a tiny cub, that he kept losing his balance and would fall over, every time he got too high on his hind legs. The memory of that afternoon will always be with me. It's not often that I get such an intimate three-hour solo photo session with a black bear mother and her cubs. I was so taken with Rosie that I have followed the comings and goings of some of the Yellowstone bear families in the Tower and Slough Creek areas ever since.
Several Rosie's have come and gone since that lazy September afternoon at the Tower CG back in 2004. But the original Rosie will always have a special place in my heart. IMO, she was the epitome of what a Yellowstone black bear mother should be. Not only was Rosie a very large and formidable bear in her own right but she was unbelievably tolerant. There was also a very gentle and loving side to Rosie that I will never ever forget. So, this post is for you, Rosie. Even though I miss you, I will always remember and admire you because you set the example for all the Tower bear mothers that have followed in your foot steps, sharing your name.
================================================================
Rosie was viciously attacked and fatally injured by large male black bear several years ago while protecting her cubs of the year. If I recall correctly, a local ranger said that Rosie was close to 19 years old when she died and had given birth to numerous cubs in her lifetime. I'm not sure what happened to Yogi after our first meeting at the Tower CG in September 2004. For all I know, he might still be in the Tower area. But Boo Boo, being so small and and so dependent on Rosie, couldn't make it on its own and died the following winter. While I was sad to hear about Boo Boo, it makes my heart smile knowing that a new Rosie with cubs is in the Tower area this year. Can't wait to see them.
It took me a while to find my original 2004 pix of the original Rosie. But they're posted at my Flickr site if anyone would like to see one of the most famous black bear mothers of Yellowstone. The pix were taken on September 9, 2004 at the Tower CG and appear at the start of my Flickr photo stream. Here's the link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigskywild/
For those of you who remember the original Rosie and were fortunate enough to get to know and photograph her over the years, I'm sure that you probably remember and miss her as much as I do. Still, it's comforting to know that Rosie's genes and lineage live on, along with our special memories of her. So this post is for you, Rosie. You were quite a gal and an amazing black bear mother. More importantly, you were a classic example of the powerful magic and majesty of the Yellowstone bears. And for those of us who were fortunate enough to get to know you on a more personal level, we will never forget you!