Very few bears die of old age. The hunters gun kills almost all. Therefore a 20 year old bear in the wild is old, but are they old? What if they manage to dodge the bullets of hunters? Currently in an upper state in the USA there is a radio collared female who is 39 years old as of January 2013. The DNR has tracked her for years and know this bear because of her tracking collar. 
The bear in the photo is a special bear. She is very smart. Most people in the area do not know she exists. I first saw her in 1998 with 3 cubs. She is now in her twenties. She knows that people cannot be trusted and that people are unpredictable. If she did not she would not have survived this long and cared for many cubs, two or three cubs every second year. Old Momma I am cheering for you with the utmost respect. – Mike
