Animal Planet, 1997

Sadie, Rachel, Gloria and Shelly are Kodiak brown bears who offer a glimpse of what life is like for the largest land predators in the world. These bears and their young cubs help illuminate the most critical period of survival for cubs (between birth and 1.5 years), and statistics indicate of the eight young cubs filmed, only three will make it. Gloria’s cubs have learned where the prime feeding areas are, and have honed their fighting skills, but they’ll have one last winter denning with mom before being ‘kicked off.’ Shelly’s two yearling cubs nurse right in front of the camera and play in the river just below a bear-viewing platform, providing an intimate look at their family life. And both Sadie and Rachel’s families allow us to witness mother-cub relationships as they mature over the summer.

Through these bear characters we discover what life is like for young bears in Kodiak, Alaska, and we learn how they share their land with humans.

Directed and Produced by Holly Stadtler.