A hungry grizzly bear set its sights on an elk herd in Grand Teton National Park, and unfortunately for one member of the herd, they weren’t ready to match up against a grizzly’s speed.
There’s an abundant variety of wild animals that call Grand Teton National Park (located in northwest Wyoming) home. Visitors are likely to see bald eagles and ospreys flying above, bighorn sheep traversing the mountainous terrain, and animals like elk, moose and bison wandering along in the flats of the property.
There’s also a fair amount of black bears and grizzly bears that live throughout the park of the Teton Mountain Range.
Speaking of… out in the wild, animals have to keep their head on a swivel. At any moment, a pleasant grazing session could turn into a race of life and death. This herd of elk went from enjoying their time out in the meadow to sprinting from a predator bearing down on them (pun intended), and it all happened in a moment’s notice.
The video, which was captured by a park goer in Grand Teton (and shared by Roaring Earth), shows a pleasant, scenic area of a valley within the park shortly before the elk herd moves through from right to left. Elk herds can comprise of around 200 to 400 members, and though this one was on the smaller side, it could still be considered a stampede.
They were out in the open, and a prowling grizzly took notice. The herd hesitated to run away, and one could argue that ended up costing them. Elk can run 40 to 45 miles per hour, and that’s undoubtedly quick. But grizzlies can be just as speedy.
They are the fastest of the eight bear species, and have been known to top out at a speed at or above 35 miles per hour. However, there are videos out there of grizzlies keeping up with cars that are going 40 miles per hour. They’ve got incredible speed, and a whole lot of stamina to go with it.
Though 35 miles per hour is typically their topping out speed, they can maintain 25 to 30 miles per hour for miles at a time. So if they are going after a meal, or chasing a foe (or multiple foes, like what’s happening in this footage), they can maintain a certain pace, usually allowing them to outlast their prey. They truly are apex predators.
Though the elk herd in this footage had strength in numbers, they didn’t make the most of it. In fact, it appears that one of the elk towards the back of the pack got a bit tangled up, and as soon as the grizzly saw that, it pounced. While the rest of the herd got away, the poor elk that was left behind ran for its life… and wasn’t able to outrun the beast. The grizzly bear closed in fast, and just like that, dinner was served in Grand Teton National Park.
Check it out:
“A young grizzly bear takes on an entire herd of elk and comes away with the prize in this intense encounter captured in Grand Teton National Park.”
