The cub was a very intense little animal. I don't know if being on her own without a mother made her tough, or if she survived simply because she was so independent. But I've never seen such a young animal with such a strong personality.

Natives, Indians and Eskimos, do not tolerate bears close to town. Somebody probably shot this cub's mother because she was getting onto human turf. Last weekend I was in Buckland, a village near Kotzebue, and talked to an elder who was going for a walk. She lives in Anchorage and said she never walks there because there are too many bears....they go through the garbage at the retirement home where she lives. Buckland, on the other hand, right in the middle of bear country, is safe and free of bears. This is why Natives are never attacked by bears, but non-Natives are frequently. One Native elder told me "I got a deal with Mr. bear. I don't bother him in the woods and he stays out of town."