Peanut
Photo credit: Emma Jensen
š» Peanut ā Individual Profile
Status: Adult
Born: 2016
š Distinguishing Features
- Very long red guard hairs on her shoulder
- Deep red colouring across the face and neck
- Thick, and pale coloured muzzle.
- Peanut is a very small bear but quite thick. Not fine at all.
These markings make her one of the most easily recognized bears in the valley.
šæ Personality, Mannerisms & Behaviour
- Social, quite confident but displays a little stress around people however generally comfortable and very predictable
- Occasionally uses human presence and human used areas as a form of safety, especially when raising her first cub.
- Seeks sheltered or protected spaces when caring for young. She is a bit private but a kind bear.
- She wants to do the right thing when around people and tries hard to figure it out
- Intelligent, social, and typically a bit silly at times.
- Not high up in the bear status on the river.
- Tolerant of shared space but will not appreciate it if someone unfamiliar approaches too closely
- Widely regarded as a fun bear to view. ā One of Ellieās favourites
Her behaviour reflects a bear with a strong understanding of her landscape, making deliberate choices about where she moves, feeds, and raises her young.
š¾ Paw Bias
Left paw dominant ā a subtle but reliable trait that often helps confirm her identity during feeding, digging, or manipulating food along the riverbank.
š Years Sighted
2019ā2025 In 2019 she was 2.5 years old. These consistent annual sightings provide a valuable long term record of her growth, movements, and behaviour across seasons.
š§¬ Family & Social Relationships
- Not known but was raised on the river by one of the valleyās female bears.
š§ø Offspring
- First litter (2025): One cub. We called her āButterā.
- She raised her the first year quite publicly.
š» Field Notes on Peanut ā Guide Notes
2019 (age 2.5) ā Rosehips at the Lodge
Peanut first drew attention when she came onto the Lodge property to eat rosehips. She was unafraid; when she finished, she walked about 8 feet past us and rubbed on a treeāwatchful, but brazen.
2020 (age 3.5) ā Testing boundaries
At about 3.5 years old, she was confident and very good at reading peopleās intentions. She would test boundaries when she thought she could, but she was also easily discouraged by clear, consistent direction.
Territorial conflict with Perfect (a few years ago)
Peanut and Perfect had a territorial dispute over the Lodge property. Peanut was pushed into the forest, then stomped loudly back and forth for about half an hour. She tried again to come out onto the lawn, stomping and rubbing on a bush. That was too much for Perfectāafter taking a few steps toward Peanut, she charged to say, āLeave now.ā Peanut ran off.
Boundary-setting at the lodge porch
On one occasion, Peanut moved very close to the front porch. Standing on the ground about 8 metres away, I told her she was close enough. She took one more step toward the porch, so I stepped forward to reduce the distance and let her know I was not going anywhere. She retreated calmly and did not come closer than 8 metres to human structures after our visit. Very smart lady.
2025 ā First cub observed
Peanut returned in 2025 with a tiny but very round cub. We were surprisedāIād never seen her with offspring before, and she was 9 years old. We called the cub Butter.
Notes:
- With a cub in tow, Peanut became more methodical in her behaviour.
- We are all hoping to see Butter again in 2026.
