Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
Speaker 1: with a third premium only story every Friday. To learn
Speaker 1: more about Animal Tales, please visit our new website at
Speaker 1: Animaltales dot uk, where you can now find stories more
Speaker 1: easily by animal type. Eli is from Georgia, USA, and
Speaker 1: he would like a story with a trout, a bass,
Speaker 1: and a Kodiak brown bear. You can learn more about
Speaker 1: these creatures in the animal facts after the story. Okay,
Speaker 1: are you ready? That's good, then I'll begin. The Hungry
Speaker 1: Bear cub Eli awoke alone in a very cold den.
Speaker 1: He had been waking up like this for days. His
Speaker 1: mother had said she was going out to find food,
Speaker 1: but so far she'd not come back. Eli kept hoping
Speaker 1: that he would wake up to find her curled up
Speaker 1: beside him, her warm body keeping him safe. But each
Speaker 1: day he just woke up cold and alone again. Eli
Speaker 1: was a Kodiak brown bear. He'd already survived one summer
Speaker 1: with his mother, spending much of that time hiding or
Speaker 1: playing while she found food. This year, now hibernation was over,
Speaker 1: she was going to teach him how to be a
Speaker 1: proper bear. At least that had been the plan right now,
Speaker 1: though Eli's stomach was beginning to ache. He hadn't had
Speaker 1: a me in a very long time. He was hungry,
Speaker 1: and he needed to eat. So the young cub did
Speaker 1: the one thing his mother had told him not to do.
Speaker 1: He left the den outside. The air was still early, spring,
Speaker 1: flowers dotted the grass, birds sung in the tree tops,
Speaker 1: and Eli could hear the faint rush of water somewhere
Speaker 1: down hill. It all looked so different to when he
Speaker 1: and his mother had entered their den months before, and
Speaker 1: because it was unfamiliar, it made him hesitate until his
Speaker 1: rumbling stomach spurred him onwards, and so down the hill
Speaker 1: Eli went. Eli wasn't entirely sure what he was looking
Speaker 1: for as he sniffled through the undergrowth. Last year, it
Speaker 1: was his mother who had selected what he ate. There
Speaker 1: were plenty of plants to choose from, but which ones
Speaker 1: were food. Remembered her warning him about how some plants
Speaker 1: could give him a belly ache or worse. The sound
Speaker 1: of water was louder now, drawing the Kodiak bear to
Speaker 1: the river. Surprisingly, it was overrun with salmon. It's the
Speaker 1: salmon run, Eli cried with delight. He barely remembered it
Speaker 1: from last year, but his mother talked of it often.
Speaker 1: When the large fish swam in their hundreds and thousands upriver.
Speaker 1: There was always plenty of food during the salmon run. Eli,
Speaker 1: though had never caught a salmon. That was one of
Speaker 1: the skills his mother had planned to share. Helplessly, the
Speaker 1: young Kodiak watched fish after fish swim past him. The
Speaker 1: sounds of laughter got his attention, drawing him downstream. There
Speaker 1: he saw four little bear cubs borne over the winter,
Speaker 1: giggling together as they ate a selection of green shoots
Speaker 1: that had been gathered for them. Hello, said Eli as
Speaker 1: he approached them. I'm Eli. The other cubs were nervous
Speaker 1: at first, although there were four of them to his one.
Speaker 1: What do you want, asked the largest cub bravely. I'm hungry,
Speaker 1: Eli admitted, where did you get those shoots? Our mum
Speaker 1: collected them, said another cub. We're to eat them while
Speaker 1: she fishes. May I have some, Eli asked, I haven't
Speaker 1: eaten anything in days. The cubs weren't sure about this.
Speaker 1: They didn't want to get into trouble, but they weren't
Speaker 1: mean or selfish either. Um okay, said the biggest cub.
Speaker 1: Go ahead. They pushed some of the vegetation Eli's way,
Speaker 1: which he gobbled hungrily. It wasn't filling, but it would
Speaker 1: help for now. A large female Kodiak bear pushed through
Speaker 1: the trees. She dropped a whole salmon at her children's feet.
Speaker 1: She was wet and tired from her efforts, so it
Speaker 1: took a moment for her to realize that she had
Speaker 1: gained an extra cub. Who are you, she demanded, as
Speaker 1: her own cubs pounced on the fish. He's Eli, said
Speaker 1: one of the cubs. Before Eli could reply, he wants food.
Speaker 1: I already have enough mouths to feed, she snapped at Eli.
Speaker 1: Kindly get your own mother to feed you. I can't.
Speaker 1: Eli tried to explain, but the adult bear wasn't listening.
Speaker 1: Go on, get, she said, before I lose my patience.
Speaker 1: Eli wasn't about to mess with such a large bear,
Speaker 1: so he fled. He ran through the tree and stumbled
Speaker 1: over roots until he was too out of breath to continue.
Speaker 1: It was only then that he realized he was lost.
Speaker 1: He didn't recall ever being in this part of the
Speaker 1: woods before. He was hungry alone, and now he didn't
Speaker 1: even know how to get back to the den. What
Speaker 1: if his mother returned and he wasn't there, she'd be
Speaker 1: awfully worried. Not knowing what else to do, Eli walked on.
Speaker 1: This led the young Kodiak bear to the edge of
Speaker 1: a small lake. There wasn't another bear in sight, although
Speaker 1: a flash of silver caught his eye. There was a
Speaker 1: fish just below the water's surface, a small fish, but
Speaker 1: a fish nonetheless. Trying to remember what his mother had
Speaker 1: done last year, Eli positioned himself above the fish mouth open. Then,
Speaker 1: when he felt the timing was right, he pluck unged
Speaker 1: forward with a splash. But all Eli got was a
Speaker 1: wet face and water up his nose. Nearby, two fish
Speaker 1: were watching Eli's performance. That bear has no idea what
Speaker 1: he's doing, said Tetra the trout. Even the humans have
Speaker 1: more grace than that, agreed Bobby the bass. Oh, look
Speaker 1: at the soggy, poor thing, said Tetra. He's chewing on
Speaker 1: a stick now. He must be really hungry. At least
Speaker 1: it means he's not eating us, said Bobby. Oh, we
Speaker 1: should help him. Tetra insisted Bobby the bass wasn't keen,
Speaker 1: but didn't want to disappoint his friend. Well, okay, he muttered,
Speaker 1: but I'm not getting too close. Eli was spitting out
Speaker 1: pieces of stick when he saw the fish swim up
Speaker 1: having trouble, Tetra asked gently a little. Eli sniffled, I'm
Speaker 1: hungry and lost, and I don't know where my mother is.
Speaker 1: Tetra felt a pang of sympathy for the large predator.
Speaker 1: Maybe we can help, she said, causing Bobby to splutter
Speaker 1: bubbles of protest for starters. No more eating sticks. He
Speaker 1: wasn't very nice, admitted Eli, but it was the only
Speaker 1: thing I've managed to catch all day. Why don't you
Speaker 1: try some berries, suggested Tetra, directing Eli's gaze with a
Speaker 1: flick of a fin. I've seen bears eat those before, really,
Speaker 1: said Eli, hopefully delicately, He tried one. When the juice
Speaker 1: hit his tongue, his eyes lit up with pleasure. He
Speaker 1: was soon wolfing the berries down, mouthful after mouthful. Come on, Tetra,
Speaker 1: let's go now, Bobby hissed to his friend. We shouldn't
Speaker 1: be helping a bear, but he's just a cub. Tetra replied,
Speaker 1: the right thing to do is to help. Bobby wasn't
Speaker 1: happy about it, but he didn't swim away either. What
Speaker 1: happened to your mum, Tetra asked the Kodiak youngster. I'm
Speaker 1: not sure, Eli replied, with a mouthful of berries. She
Speaker 1: went out looking for food, but hasn't come home. And
Speaker 1: where is home? Tetra pressed, Up a hill, That's all
Speaker 1: I know, Eli replied, I don't know how to get back.
Speaker 1: Do you know where it is? Believe me, Bear, laughed
Speaker 1: the trout. Neither Bobby nor myself have ever been up
Speaker 1: a hill. But I'll tell you what. Why don't you
Speaker 1: hang around here for a while. Bobby and I can
Speaker 1: keep an eye on you. If you can't go back
Speaker 1: to your home, you may as well enjoy hours o
Speaker 1: k agreed Eli. I'll do that. We'll come and see
Speaker 1: you later, big Feller, said Tetra, Much to Bobby's relief.
Speaker 1: The two fish swam away. Eli stared across the lake.
Speaker 1: It wasn't such a bad place. He couldn't see all
Speaker 1: of it from this spot, but what he could see
Speaker 1: he liked, and what he really liked were the berries
Speaker 1: he'd been introduced to, and luckily for him, there were plenty.
Speaker 1: I can't believe were baby sitting a bear, grumbled Bobby
Speaker 1: the bass. What will the other fish say? They don't
Speaker 1: need to know about it, said Tetra firmly. We'll just
Speaker 1: help the little guy until he's big enough to take
Speaker 1: care of himself, then send him on his way. That's all.
Speaker 1: The edge of the lake was uneven, with lots of
Speaker 1: tiny inlets screened by dense trees and bushes. The trout
Speaker 1: and the bass rarely came to this particular part of
Speaker 1: the lake, so we surprised to see a second bear,
Speaker 1: this one much bigger, lying with one foot in the water.
Speaker 1: What's it doing, asked Bobby. It's very still, answered Tetra.
Speaker 1: Is it alive, wondered the trout. Quietly. They swam closer
Speaker 1: to investigate the bear, it seemed had become entangled in
Speaker 1: a mess of fishing line and netting left beneath the
Speaker 1: water by a human fisherman. What a mess, said Tetra.
Speaker 1: The poor thing must have exhausted itself trying to escape. Well,
Speaker 1: I'm not going near it, insisted the bass. I've already
Speaker 1: been closer than i'd like to a bear to day,
Speaker 1: but Bobby smiled, Tetra, what have I told you about
Speaker 1: doing the right thing? Grumbling, Bobby followed his friend closer.
Speaker 1: Still not too far away. Eli was wiping his sticky
Speaker 1: mouth with the back of his paw when he saw
Speaker 1: one of the most dangerous shapes on the island, approaching,
Speaker 1: a large male Kodiak bear. He wasn't even fully grown,
Speaker 1: but he was still much bigger than Eli. What's this,
Speaker 1: the bear, laughed, A little bear all on its ownsome
Speaker 1: All Eli wanted to do was run away, but he
Speaker 1: wouldn't be fast enough to escape this brute. I was
Speaker 1: just eating, he muttered quietly. I can see, said the
Speaker 1: bigger bear. You're eating my berries. Your berries, Eli gulped.
Speaker 1: But I didn't know. How could you, chuckled the bigger
Speaker 1: bear menacingly. I've only just decided that they're mine, But
Speaker 1: now I have I can accuse you of stealing. But
Speaker 1: that's not fair, complained Eli. I don't care whether you
Speaker 1: think it's fair or not, said the other bear. I'm
Speaker 1: bigger than you, and on this island, the biggest bear rules.
Speaker 1: He rose up onto his hind legs, letting out a
Speaker 1: grumbling roar. Eli shrank back, terrified at what the bear
Speaker 1: would do, until an even bigger bear rose up behind it.
Speaker 1: This bear was female, and she roared loud enough to
Speaker 1: shake the leaves on the trees. Taken by surprise, the
Speaker 1: male bear squealed in fry, taking an awkward tumble into
Speaker 1: the lake. There, he splashed and stumbled before finding his
Speaker 1: footing and running away with a whimper peeking through his paws.
Speaker 1: Eli's first thought was that this new bear was even scarier,
Speaker 1: but when he got a proper look at her, all
Speaker 1: that changed. You're not scary, Eli said, You're my mum.
Speaker 1: Eli's mother scooped him up into a bear hug, sending
Speaker 1: them both rolling through the grass. I thought i'd never
Speaker 1: see you again, she cried. I'm sorry, mother, Eli said,
Speaker 1: burying his face in her fur. I got hungry and
Speaker 1: I didn't know where you'd gone. Don't be sorry, said
Speaker 1: his mother. It's not your fault. I was lucky enough
Speaker 1: to get some unexpected help. That would be us, said
Speaker 1: Bobby the bass from the lake. We found your missing mum,
Speaker 1: Tetra added. And it looks as if it was just
Speaker 1: in time, too, said Bobby. Oh my little cub, said
Speaker 1: Eli's mum, you're so scrawny and sticky. We introduced him
Speaker 1: to berries, said the trout guiltily, but Eli hesitated, glancing
Speaker 1: over at his new friends. Ooh, berries, said Eli's mum,
Speaker 1: with a lick of her lips. She'd not eaten for
Speaker 1: days either, and so a mother and her cub ate
Speaker 1: berries until they were fit to burst. Then, saying goodbye
Speaker 1: to the new lake dwelling friends, Eli's mother led them
Speaker 1: back to the den. You did well, she said to
Speaker 1: him as they walked. Do you think so, asked Eli,
Speaker 1: I do, she smiled. One day, You're going to be
Speaker 1: a truly great Kodiak bear. Animal fact, the name bass
Speaker 1: can refer to a lot of different fish, but the
Speaker 1: bass in our story is likely a large mouth bass,
Speaker 1: also known as a wide mouth bass, bucket mouth bass,
Speaker 1: and growlers. Trout can also mean lots of different fish.
Speaker 1: In our story, the trout is likely a steelhead. They're predators,
Speaker 1: feeding on insects, small fish, and crustaceans. Kodiak brown bears
Speaker 1: are larger than their mainland cousins. They're closer in size
Speaker 1: to polar bears and can be up to twice as
Speaker 1: large as a Californian Grizzly young bears leave their mothers
Speaker 1: a between three and five years of age. Thank you
Speaker 1: for your suggestions, Eli, We hope you enjoyed the story,
Speaker 1: and thank you to all of you across the world
Speaker 1: for listening to it. In addition to the five hundred
Speaker 1: free to listen stories, there are over one hundred extra
Speaker 1: stories for our Premium members, only available through Apple or Supercaste.
Speaker 1: Find out more at Animaltales dot uk and remember, for
Speaker 1: a tiny fee, all the stories are advert free. Join
Speaker 1: us next time for another great animal tale. Good Bye,