Honey Bump the Bear
Honey Bump the Bear
Photo: Derek Reich

Honey Bump: The Leading Lady of Bear Conservation

Sweet and fierce and talented all at once, Honey Bump (2000-2026) was an accomplished bear actor and a ambassador for The Vital Ground Foundation. She may have been a bit smaller than her brother, Bart the Bear II, but Honey Bump’s impact on wildlife conservation was huge.

Orphaned as tiny cubs in Alaska, Honey Bump and Bart II were rescued and delivered to Doug and Lynne Seus, the Utah-based animal trainers who had turned Bart the Bear into an international celebrity and established The Vital Ground Foundation in 1990 to help protect habitat for Bart’s wild grizzly cousins. Living and working alongside her brother and Tank the Bear, Bump starred alongside Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt in the Growing Up Grizzly series, among many other appearances on the big screen.

Honey Bump Quick Facts

  • Born: January 2000
  • Died: April 2026
  • Height: 6 feet, 4 inches
  • Weight: 520 pounds
  • Homepage: http://bartthebear.com/bears/honey-bump/
  • Film Credits:
    • Dr. Doolittle 2 (2000)
    • Evan Almighty (2006)
    • Zookeeper (2010)
    • Horse Crazy 2: The Legend of Grizzly Mountain (2010)
  • Television Credits:
    • Growing Up Grizzly (2001)
    • Growing Up Grizzly 2 (2004)

Honey Bump’s Legacy

Like her brother Bart, Honey Bump’s fame mattered most because of its positive impact for grizzly bears and other wildlife. As an ambassador for The Vital Ground Foundation, Bump supported habitat protection for wild grizzlies from the time she was adopted as an orphaned cub unable to survive in the wild herself. Her appearances at Vital Ground fundraisers brought in support for countless projects, from protection of key habitat acres to support of conflict prevention work like electric fencing and bear-proof sanitation in communities. Her irresistible personality and notoriety as a film star led countless conservation-minded individuals to discover Vital Ground and support the organization’s work to protect the wild heritage of the Northern Rockies for future generations. With over 1 million acres protected and enhanced since her birth, Honey Bump’s conservation legacy continues to grow.