Montana naturalist and filmmaker Casey Anderson knows grizzly bears better than most. In his twenties, Casey rescued an orphaned cub and created a sanctuary near Bozeman for grizzlies in need of care. Yet Casey is a firm believer that it’s usually better to leave cubs in the wild and let nature take its course. But one day, a call from Alaska forces him to break his own rules. An abandoned cub there will be euthanized unless a home is found. Reluctantly, Casey agrees to take it into his sanctuary where it will live in captivity.

Meanwhile, in the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, a well-known “roadside” bear named Felicia has abandoned her cub, Pepper. With onlookers anxiously watching, Pepper’s struggle plays out when the little cub is forced to fend for himself. As the parallel dramas of Max and Pepper unfold in GROWING UP GRIZZLY (Wednesday 12th, 8pm), we’re forced to decide for ourselves which cub has the better chance of growing up grizzly.