The little brown bear from that time?(2023/7)

Hakuundake, Daisetsuzan(2023/7)

Last year (2023), during a hike to Hakuundake in Daisetsuzan, I encountered a mother brown bear with her cubs. I managed to capture part of the encounter on camera, despite the strong winds causing some shaky footage. The bears walked across a snowfield near the Hakuundake Emergency Shelter, heading towards Takanehara.

This year (2024), I had another brown bear encounter near the same Hakuundake Emergency Shelter. Interestingly, the bear I saw this year had similar features to the cub from last year, with a panda-like appearance due to its whitish back and face. I can’t help but wonder if this brown bear is the same cub, now grown after a year.

It seems a bit too large for just one year of growth, but considering it was spotted in nearly the same area as last year’s family, it might have returned alone, remembering where it used to forage with its mother. (You can watch a video of this year’s brown bear encounter at the bottom of this post.)

Below is the footage of the mother brown bear and her cubs from last year.

Don’t you think the mother brown bear from last year (2023) and the medium-sized bear I saw this year (2024) look quite similar?

Note: Hokkaido brown bears are known to appear near the Hakuundake Emergency Shelter every year. Please follow the instructions of the shelter staff. In recent years, some individuals have gotten too close to the bears or even followed them to take photos. This is dangerous for both humans and the bears. Always keep a safe distance and carry bear spray.