VIDEO: Watch This Yellowstone Wolf Pack "Herd" A Grizzly

A truly exceptional piece of footage is making the rounds on the internet that might just be one of the most exceptional pieces of Yellowstone footage we've ever seen.  It shows an encounter between wolves and a grizzly bear, rare enough on its own (although growing more frequent since the reintroduction of wolves to the Park), but it happens to show complex wolf pack behavior, not just an attack. 

On October 16, 2020, a tour guide from Tied To Nature, which offers expeditions into Yellowstone, witnessed something incredible - and wasn't afraid to share his excitement with the tour. 

They were in Yellowstone when they saw a grizzly bear foraging in a field as a wolf approaches, then another.  The grizzly rose on its hind legs to see what was coming at him, and that's when the rest of the pack joined the scouting wolf.  What happened next surprised everyone: they systematically herded the bear out of the contested territory.   

They stop short of attacking the bear, which would have probably been a foolhardy course of action for them to take.  Instead, they circle him, nipping at him but staying just out of his reach.  Every time it looks like the bear is about to get one of them, they elude him.  They don't get any hits on him, either.  But they're not trying to, either.  They're trying to get him out of their way. 

And they do.  They give chase until the bear reaches the treeline, and the bear, probably dizzy from trying to see all of the circling wolves at once, decides to give it up.  The wolves can now safely pass through the flat field without harassment from angry, pre-hibernation grizzlies. 

Say what you want about wolves, they're darn clever critters. 

See the whole video below.