Talk about an unexpected event: a grizzly bear was documented pursuing and capturing a young cougar in Wyoming.
The awe-inspiring footage was captured by an outdoorsman on his way to a fishing trip in Central Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park.
The video shows the bear swiftly chasing the agile cougar along a winding road in the dense forest, pouncing on it with astonishing force before the frightened feline could react.
Grizzly bears will sometimes prey upon young or weakened predators, after all. Rangers are always cautious about the potential conflicts that arise when their territories overlap, whether caused by the government or killed by wild animals, wolves, owls, or mountain lions.
Ranches like those near Yellowstone are particularly vulnerable to such attacks, and revenue — mainly from hunting licenses — generally covers such losses. Wyoming compensates ranchers for livestock losses by paying 3.5 times the market value for livestock killed by predators, according to Montana Public Radio. One Wyoming rancher was just awarded an unbelievable $340,000 for his reported losses.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds as apex predators — like the grizzly bear — bounce back to normal population levels in areas where humans, domestic animals, and livestock now inhabit.
