A Mother Bear Protects Her Babies

As we were driving towards Lamar Valley in Yellowstone, we noticed a small crowd in one of the pullouts. A sign of a significant sighting.

“It’s on the edge of that ice table, near the water,” they said. “Three black bears.”

I could just make out the black blob in the distance. Even my zoom lens was of little help,

It was only when another park visitor offered her spotting scope that I saw what they were talking about. A mother bear protecting her two babies, all of them huddled and keeping warm while the snowstorm raged on.

Three bears in the snow (cropped image)

A mother’s instinct. Keep the babies safe and warm. Conserve their energy. Let the storm pass.

It is hard to find an instinct more hopeful than that of a mother’s. A hope that her offspring would make it through. An instinct that says, “trust me.”

Despite everything that’s going on in the world, seeing this mother bear makes me hopeful.

Happy Mother’s Day!

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LAPC: Hopeful