SAM AND ILLIE

SAM AND ILLIE

 Pictured above are Sam and Illie who are two longtime residents of the Grizzly Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. They are a twin brother and sister.  

They are from Alaska and were brought to the Center after their mother had disappeared. They had wandered into a fishing village in Alaska where both the young and old of the town began hand feeding them. This was quite an attraction no doubt, but it was also a very dangerous situation. They had no mother to care for them and teach them how to survive in the wild so it was necessary that they be captured and given a new home. They arrived at the Discovery Center in 1996. They are both very large bears with Sam weighing approximately 1050 pounds and Illie weighs close to 800 pounds.

Sam was named after the fishing village of King Salmon while Illie was named after Mount Iliamna. These areas are both close to their birthplace.

When you're in town, check out the schedule at the Discovery Center to find out when they will be in the habitat.