A damaged jaw would be a disaster for her and her family. Clearly in pain, she leads the anxious cubs to high ground away from the male. She nurses to calm and / reassure them.

 

The injury does not seem serious, but she decides to lead her family back down from the mountain. This will be the last time these cubs feed here as a family, by next year, they will be independent, ready to face their world alone.

 

Sun has briefly brought warmth to Yellowstone, long enough to fuel the raising of new generations. But just as summer reveals the full/ extent of Yellowstone’s diversity, a curtain of winter ice is set to descend again.