The Grizzly, Our Greatest Wild Animal — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Grizzly, Our Greatest Wild Animal
John Stuart Mill · en
When a large stone is encountered in his digging the grizzly grabs it
with both fore paws, shakes and tears it loose from the earth, and hurls
it aside. I have seen him toss huge stones over his shoulder and throw
larger ones forward with one paw. Grizzlies show both skill and thought
in nearly everything they do. They have strength, alert wits, and clever
paws, and commonly work at high speed. Yet they appear deliberate in
their actions and work in a painstaking, careful manner.
A grizzly I followed one day paused in a grassy space to dig out mice.
In reaching them he discovered a chipmunk's burrow. By the time he had
secured all the mice and chipmunks he had torn up several square yards
of sod. The place had the appearance of having been rooted up by hogs.
In this fresh earth the surrounding trees sowed triumphant seeds, and
here a cluster of spruces grew where grass had long held sway.
A grizzly seems never too busy or too hungry to stop and look around.
"Safety First" appears to be more on his mind than eating. I have seen a
grizzly pause from his earth-digging after roots to stop, look, and
listen, and I have watched one stop his more than eager digging after
marmots to scent the air in his scout for an enemy. And then again I
have repeatedly seen him look up from his feast of smelly sirloin to
make certain that he was not surprised by man.
While I was watching a flock of mountain sheep feeding down a slope just
above the timber-line, a grizzly appeared on the scene. He came slowly
upward from the woods. Unless the sheep or the bear changed course there
must be a meeting. But the sheep continued to feed downward and the
grizzly to walk up. Suddenly the bear stopped and began digging--digging
evidently for a chipmunk. A stream of earth was sent flying behind him.
Occasionally, too, a huge stone was sent hurtling back. This activity
roused the curiosity of the sheep, and they approached within perhaps
ten or twelve feet. They were lined up and eagerly watching the grizzly
when he became aware of their presence. Disliking their close approach,
he leaped at them with a terrific "Woof!" The sheep scattered wildly but
ran only a few yards. Again uniting, they fed quietly away, and the
grizzly returned to his digging.
In only exceptional cases has the grizzly been a killer of big game. In
his search for food he digs out small mammals and kills rabbits and
beaver. He is not likely to attempt anything as large as wild sheep, but
when a grizzly forms the habit of killing big animals he is likely to
make this serve as his entire food-supply. Thus a cattle-killing grizzly
is likely to give his chief attention to the killing of cattle, or
incidentally to that of sheep, deer, or elk. In the days of the buffalo
the great herds frequently were trailed by one or more grizzlies. These,
however, probably obtained most of their meat from carcasses left behind
by storms, drowning, or other means of death.