A brown bear dubbed the "supermom" sow has returned to Katmai National Park and Preserve's Brooks Camp, with both of her cubs in tow -- including one that she adopted last summer as a yearling after it had been abandoned.
Katmai's chief of interpretation Roy Wood described the family as "nontraditional." But so far, it appears to be working for the sow, named Holly.
On Tuesday, the trio made their first appearance of the season at the Lower River of Katmai's Brooks Camp, on the shores of Naknek Lake in Southwest Alaska.
The return followed months of speculation about the bear family's chances of survival after they left the camp to hibernate for the winter. The adoption of a cub by a sow has never been closely documented in the wild, and the outcome was anyone's guess.
"I can say I felt a great deal of relief and joy hearing of their return," Wood said. "Raising one cub is tough. Raising two is harder, and then adding the age and size difference must have made it incredibly challenging for Holly."
The trio gained notoriety among Katmai bear observers last summer, when the yearling was abandoned at Brooks Falls. At the time, it was described as being on its "death bed." The bear had taken refuge in a tree but had no access to food and could have been killed by adult male bears fishing in the falls.
Holly, formally known as "bear 435," saved the abandoned bear's life. She provided protection and taught it to fish. By the end of the summer, biologists assumed she'd den with the adopted bear as well as her own younger cub -- but that was only a guess.
If Holly was feeding another bear, would she and her biological cub get enough nutrients to survive the winter? Or would another body be good for hibernation, as it would provide more warmth?
Then, if Holly were to return with only the adopted cub in tow, how would they explain that to visitors or viewers? Katmai chief of resource management and science Troy Hamon said he thought "many of them would be disturbed."
"Usually you only get to see the harsher side of nature," said Katmai wildlife biology technician Leslie Skora. "Then you see something like this. It's heartwarming."
Another big question only Holly could answer was whether she'd kick out the adopted bear. In a blog post, Katmai visual information specialist Michael Fitz said if the adopted bear wasn't kicked out of the family by June, it and Holly's biological yearling would probably spend the summer and coming winter with her.
"Presumably, 435 is treating the adopted cub (which is now 2 1/2 years old) like her biological cub," Fitz wrote. "If 435 has not pushed both cubs away by June, she's probably committed to keeping them until next spring."
At Katmai, cubs stay with the sow for two to three summers, Fitz wrote.
And even though the trio made it through the first winter as a nontraditional family, Wood said they're still going to face challenges. But if anyone can do it, Wood said, it's Holly.
"Fortunately for all, it has so far continued to be a story of struggle, perseverance, and the incredible maternal instincts of Holly," Wood said.