The greatest thrill for many park visitors is when a BIGHORN, or mountain sheep, comes close enough to be photographed; however, those occasions are rare. Like most large mammals of the West, the bighorn was on the verge of extinction 40 years ago, but, thanks to various conservation measures, it is now well established. Formerly, bighorn were distributed throughout the park and beyond to the foothills. Today, they are largely restricted, by man’s necessary settlement of the land, to portions of the park remote from man’s developments. Most visitors—when they get to see them at all—spot bighorn on Trail Ridge Road near Milner Pass (on Specimen Mountain) or in the Mummy Range. They are seen now and then near Sheep Lake (in Horseshoe Park), usually in small family groups of ewes and lambs. Successful pictures of them have been made mostly in this vicinity. Predatory Mammals Yellowstone and Yosemite are two National Parks where visitors have ample opportunity to become acquainted with the BLACK BEAR. Many people, by foolishly feeding or petting these wild animals, have become too intimately acquainted, and have been injured in the process. Here in Rocky Mountain National Park, these opportunities seldom occur, for the bear population is low. If you are lucky enough to see one of these bulky, furry creatures lumbering along the road, do not try to fraternize with it. [Illustration: Brown bear are present in the park, but not in large numbers.] Although the species present here is called the black bear, there are blonds among them, too. The brown bear and cinnamon bear are merely color phases of the black bear. Bears eat almost everything, including roots, berries, ants, frogs, fish, carrion, and such small mammals or birds as get into their clutches. They seem to be particularly voracious in eating garbage—discarded lunches, bacon, and similar material likely to be present in a campground. The bear is a relatively solitary animal. He has poor eyesight, but good hearing and sense of smell. Bears usually hibernate in fitful sleep, living off stored-up layers of body fat. The surprisingly small, squirrel-sized young are born in February during this semihibernation. The mother gives devoted care to her cubs, and defends them vigorously. You can’t see grizzlies here, for they were extirpated from this region before the park was established.