Grizzly grabs a Glacier goat
A West Glacier filmmaker caught dramatic footage of a grizzly bear hunting and killing a kid mountain goat at a mineral lick on the east side of Glacier National Park.
Sumio Harada said he spent June 21 filming the goats at the lick, which is on a slope several hundred feet away from a cliff face. It was a windy day, and he didn’t get much footage. Goats are great climbers and don’t like to venture away from cliffs, which provide escape routes from predators.
The next day Harada returned and it was calm. Several families of goats came down to the lick about mid-morning, including nannies with four kids. There were at least 18 goats at the lick, which was split into an upper and lower lick. Licks are natural mineral deposits in the soil. The goats need the minerals for healthy hair and to replace minerals lost in childbirth.
Shortly after noon, a grizzly came down the slope and began stalking the goats. Harada filmed the scene with a super telephoto lens and a 4k digital camera from more than 100 yards away.
The grizzly began to chase the goats, which scattered behind a hill and out of view.
When the grizzly came back into view, it had a kid goat in its mouth. Harada filmed the scene as the bear hauled away the dead goat.
Harada’s work has appeared in National Geographic and several other publications. The photos shown here are frame grabs from the video.
During his 29-year career photographing goats in Glacier, this is the first time he has seen a grizzly hunt and kill a goat. Citizen scientists doing goat observations have also recorded a grizzly hunting and killing young goats.
A few years ago Harada photographed a mountain lion on the east side of the park killing a bighorn sheep lamb and a mountain goat in the winter months.
Goats hold a special place in Harada’s heart, but death is the natural way of the world, he noted.
“I love mountain goats, especially babies,” he said. “The kill was sad. On the other side, I was excited to see the real life of a goat and grizzly. I could see a real harmony of the wild.”
Harada’s latest book, “Wild Harmony of Glacier National Park,” chronicles the Japanese native’s career photographing wildlife in Glacier National Park.