Watch What Happens When 15 Menacing Wolves Surround a Lone Grizzly Bear Enjoying Its Dinner

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There is nothing quite worse than finding out the food you worked for has been stolen by another predator. No matter the animal, the ability to survive by hunting for their own food, or foraging for it, takes a great deal of time and effort. And when that effort is rewarded by thievery, we can understand the anger that would take place.

This next video posted below takes us to Yellowstone National Park, where the Brushbuck Wildlife Tour guide, Daniel Bradford, is filming and documenting this interaction between a group of fifteen wolves and a lonely grizzly bear. 

Watch the Riveting Footage

Grizzly Bear Versus Wolves

This lonely grizzly bear has found its way onto wolf territory because it smells the strong scent of a fresh kill that has been left out in the open. Previously before the video started, this wolf pack had hunted down an elk. After they took it down, they left it as animals often will do and then returned later to finish it. However, this lucky bear found a whole meal just quite literally on a silver platter for him.

Tour guide Bradford shares in his explanation on their BrushBuck Wildlife Tours YouTube channel that “This was a incredible sight to witness as most bears should be in hibernation during this time (December 29th).”

These wolves are not happy when they return. We see them coming back one by one, shocked to see that another predator has discovered their meal. They are even more shocked that this predator is a grizzly bear since it is normally in hibernation. 

We see the wolves smartly create a formation around the bear so as to attack. However, this grizzly bear lets out a loud roar and lunges at them as if to say that he will fight if need be. At one point, fifteen adult wolves surrounded the bear. But they all eventually leave one by one. This pack has decided he is not worth the effort. 

Who is Stronger Polar Bear or Grizzly?

Looking at strong animals such as the polar bear and the grizzly bear begs the question, who is stronger? Well, let’s take a look at their physical characteristics.

The polar bear weighs approximately 150-600 kilograms (330-1,322 pounds) and reaches 2-2.5 meters (6.5-8.3 feet) in length.

The grizzly bear weighs approximately 181-318 kilograms (400-800 pounds) and reaches 2.1- 3 meters (7-10 feet) tall.

It might first be natural to assume since the polar bear weighs more, he would be stronger; however, weight doesn’t necessarily mean strength. According to the Yellowstone Bear World, “Grizzly bears are tougher than polar bears as they possess stronger and longer claws and an elongated skull with sharp and long canines that can completely separate the flesh from bone.“

Is This Normal Behavior for a Pack of Wolves To Attack a Lone Grizzly?

While it is something that might occur on occasion, a wolf pack fighting a grizzly is an event that does not happen under normal circumstances. However, where you find grizzly bears, you will usually find various species of wolves that are competing in the same geographical territory.

In the warmer months when food abounds and prey is not too difficult to locate, the grizzlies and wolves normally give each other a wide berth. The risk of serious and potentially lethal injury is too high and not worth the confrontation. This encounter percentage could rise if a young bear cub was found alone or separated from its mother.

When resources are depleted, the odds of confrontation go higher. As with most things in the wild, scarcity leads to desperate action. When a battle between a grizzly bear and a wolf pack does occur, it will often be over a carcass. A likely outcome is one of the two opponents grabbing some meat and running away, or it could end in one deciding the battle is not worth it.