Catching Up With the Grand Teton's Famous Bears
A mother’s love is universal. Grand Teton grizzly mom, Felicia, is one of the bears who raises her cubs near the safety of busy roads. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven.
Wildlife photographer and D: W Team member, Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
"This is what we drove all this way for," I overheard a husband say to his wife. We were in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, admiring a grizzly bear sow and her two yearling cubs grazing peacefully in a patch of willows.
✓ Trip Tips
Where: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
When: Off Peak Late May-June or September after Labor Day High season: July - Sept.
How: Self drive or take a tour. Ask Us
What: Bear, moose, and more
The usual crowds of visitors are already arriving in Jackson Hole this year, albeit somewhat impeded by the construction work keeping Jackson's only airport closed through the end of June. High on most visitors' must-see list is a grizzly bear. And the grizzly visitors most want to see is 399. So, with bears and tourists emerging from their dens, I thought it was time for an update on her and a few of the Tetons' other beloved grizzlies.
Queen of the Tetons, Grizzly 399, Takes Her Cubs on a Farewell Tour
The Queen of the Tetons, grizzly 399, in her 26th spring sent her four 2.5-year old cubs into the world last month beating the odds and making history. But, will they be her final offspring? Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
The Death of 399: Jorn is donating all proceeds of mugs, hoodies, t-shirts, and ornaments with his iconic image of 399 to grizzly conservation organizations: Vital Ground and JH Bear Solutions. Purchase here
It's been busy here in Jackson Hole since grizzly 399, and her four cubs came out of hibernation in mid-April. Emerging from their den in the National Forest north of the National Park, the fab five made their first appearance in Pilgrim Creek, 399's usual area inside the Park borders. But then 399 traveled all over the valley on a kind of 'farewell tour' for the cubs.
Has there ever been a bear like the Queen? Days before she sets them on their way, 399 leads her four famous cubs on a farewell tour. If the four sub-adults stay in the wild, they will have a chance. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven.
They quickly went south into lower elevations and, like last year, exited the National Park and headed towards the towns of Teton Village and Wilson in search of food. With two of the four cubs being GPS collared, the wildlife management authorities could follow closely behind to ensure that they wouldn't find food rewards in the human communities.
Last year, a woman living in the Solitude subdivision just south of the National Park blatantly fed the bears from the porch of her home. Feeding bears inevitably leads to tragedy and the talk immediately revolved around removing the bears – or worse - igniting outrage among wildlife lovers. I wrote about this problem and its effect on the bears’ future in, “An Uncertain Future for Grand Teton’s Grizzlies” last fall.
399 and four about-to-be on their own sub-adults walk through onlookers in front of Mount Moran. The inexperienced youngsters were fed last year making it very likely that they will head for more human food - and conflict with humans that they will not win. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
☞UPDATE: July 2022:
The Killing of Grizzly 1057. One of 399’s cubs is already gone.
Thankfully, this year it appears that the bears didn't find easy food rewards and quickly headed back north into the relative safety of the National Park. Back in Grand Teton National Park, 399 kicked out (or weaned is the more appropriate term) her four famous cubs in mid-May.
This Queen is an Inspiration to Senior Citizens Everywhere!
Typically, grizzly cubs are weaned by two and a half years old, and the sow is ready to mate again. And lo and behold, the day after 399 kicked out the cubs, witnesses saw her in the presence of one of the largest male grizzlies (or 'boars') around here: a bear the locals named Bruno.
This grizzly Queen of the Tetons is an astounding 26-years old. The average wild grizzly lifespan is between 20 to 25 years. Could she possibly have cubs again this coming winter? And more importantly, could our Queen of the Tetons live long enough to raise them to two and half years old? If any bear can do it ...
Grizzly 610 Has Three New Cubs
How habituated are the grizzly bears to human watchers? ? 610 was not troubled at all by the “bear-jam” as she led her new cubs away. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
In other excellent bruin news, grizzly 610 appeared out of hibernation with three new 'COY' or cubs of the year.
Already 16-years-old, 610 is one of 399's surviving offspring and, like her mother, also a "roadside bear” using the safety of the highways and human proximity to raise her cubs. * But so far, 610 has avoided humans, staying far up the slope of a hill in the park's northern section. Nevertheless, I was able to make a few videos of her and the 3 COY.
To demonstrate how far away 610 is keeping her cubs from us humans: I shot the video below at the equivalent focal length of 1,100mm, which means the bears were well over half a mile away.
Hiking is prohibited in many sensitive grizzly bear areas in the springtime, so hopefully, 610 and cubs will make their way closer to the roads. There is no animal we all want to see more than the adorable grizzly cubs of the year!
* June 21st Update: 610 Since her first appearances far away on a hillside (as shown in the video), she has been seen closer to the road in the Signal Mountain area of the park.
Grizzly 926 is “The Cunningham Bear”
Last summer, another roadside bear introduced herself to park visitors. Number 926 is the seven-year-old daughter of grizzly 610, making her 399's granddaughter.
926 seems to have chosen the area surrounding the historic Cunningham Cabin as her home base, leading to her nickname 'the Cunningham bear.' But that means Highway 191 bisects her chosen stomping grounds, the same busy highway that goes through celebrity grizzly mom Felicia's area in the nearby National Forest.
Grizzly 926 dubbed, “The Cunningham bear” when she has chose this as her home turf. Can’t blame her - look at that view! Image: Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
Managing Bears Means Managing Humans First
Not only is crossing the highway with small cubs dangerous for the bears, but when they appear, the resulting "bear-jams" of people and vehicles creates headaches for the authorities managing the highway traffic.
What Draws Bears to Expose Themselves on the Road-Side?
Safety! Mother bears have learned to raise their cubs near the road to keep them safe from their biggest threat: male grizzlies. The big males kill cubs to bring a female back into estrus. An example of this happened this year when another celebrity grizzly bear, number 793 or 'Blondie', came out of hibernation with three new cubs. After spending days near the roadside in the National Park, she appeared one Saturday morning without her cubs. They had allegedly been killed by a boar.
But the males avoid the noise and proximity to humans on the roadside creating a haven for the cubs. However, this magnet of cuteness opens a world of other problems.
When humans behave irresponsibly, parking or walking on the highway, getting close to the bears, or when they leave trash along the road, the situation for the bears becomes very bad.
One of 399’s traffic-habituated cubs crosses the people-jammed but bear-safe, road. What we do not see are the Wildlife Brigade volunteers keeping the crowd in check so the bears can live. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
All Roadsides are Not Equal
Inside Grand Teton National Park’s borders, the “Wildlife Brigade" patrols the areas where the females and cubs tend to stay.
The Grand Teton Foundation started the Brigade in 2007 shorty after grizzly bears, returning to their traditional habitat after a long absence, began to raise cubs by the side of the road. 399 was one of the first. The mission of the trained (primarily) volunteer group is to keep humans and wildlife safe. They accomplish this balancing act mainly by managing the humans while allowing wildlife to be wild. When necessary, (underfunded) rangers step in.
However, outside the Park and just a few miles east of grizzly 926's inside-the-park habitat, the treatment of traffic-jam causing bears is starkly different. One example is 9-year old grizzly mom Felicia, another roadside bear with cubs, a worldwide following, and a spotless track record for human interactions.
In 2021, outside of the Park’s Wildlife Brigade protection, Felicia, suffered two weeks of daily hazing with rubber bullets, bean bags, and noise makers to move her and her young cubs back from the road. The action generated a lot of controversy – but did allow the already one-time relocated Felicia to stay put.
So, How is Felicia Doing This Year?
Felicia and cubs cross Togwotee Pass - note the yellow sign in the distance indicating the steep incline, also note Felicia is keeping an eye on it. It is a blind spot for drivers and very dangerous when traffic and bears mix. Add a bear-jam of people stopping, getting out of their cars, stepping into the road - and it can spell tragedy. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
She and her two cubs came out of hibernation recently in great condition. The weaned cubs will go off on their own in the spring of 2023, so we have one more year to enjoy them together - if bear-watching enthusiasts and Wyoming's Game & Fish Department allow them to live their lives as intended.
So far this year, her human fans have been (mostly) behaving when she and the cubs are visible from the highway. However, the WGFD actively hazes her and the cubs if they see a crowd forming. When they do the WGFD uses (best case) cracker shells, scaring the bears with a loud bang. However, they also shoot them with rubber bullets, and recently have started using trained dogs to charge the bears: a scenario that could end badly for both dogs and bear cubs. (Read her history in, Felicia, A Young Grizzly Mom in Trouble.)
The On-Going Problem of Roadside Bear Hazing
Wildlife photographer and outspoken grizzly conservationist, Thomas Mangelsen (center) with me (Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven) and my wife, Hannah. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
Renowned wildlife photographer, long-time Jackson Hole resident and outspoken grizzly advocate, Thomas D. Mangelsen had this to say:
'When I saw her [Felicia] and parked, there were not many cars and the bears were out well over 100 yards, but they hazed her anyway ... Seeing Felicia is a mixed bag with different answers [coming] from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, and the Highway Patrol.
Mangelsen continues, Felicia is used to her habitat. She crosses the road regularly for food, and water, nursing the cubs, or sleep. Ongoing hazings .... give the bear emotional stress and mental damaging (sic) that can lead to death. And let's not forget it was the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service who relocated Felicia to her current habitat in the first place, many years ago."
Bear Hazing Verses Humans Behaving Responsibly
Heavy traffic is a problem. Mangelsen suggests a good way to contribute to both bear and human safety is a highway patrolman with with a radar gun! Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
Mangelsen recommends reading the 2021 study "Teaching Bears: Complexities and Contingencies of Deterrence and Aversive Conditioning" by David J Mattson, Ph.D a retired U.S. Geological Survey Field director, and presently Lecturer and Visiting Senior Scientist at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
☞ Roadside Bear Watching Safety Guidelines
1. Use the highway pull-outs.
2. DON'T stop on the road.
3. Limit the time you spend with them.
4. Take pictures of the bears strictly from the safety of their car since, most often, no staff is present to keep people and bears safe
5. Never feed or leave garbage or food where bears might get it.
Mattson’s study, (1997-present) is fascinating reading – but in short the report concludes that, aversive conditioning will almost invariably have a limited role in non-lethal management of human-bear conflicts, especially in contrast to efforts focused on people."
In other words: it's up to us humans to behave, not for the authorities to try and 'fix' the bears' long-standing habits.
Says Mangelsen, 'Up to 5 years ago, bears like 399 were never hazed with bullets or cracker shells in the park. What works well are simple things like clapping your hands or honking the horn of the car.... Hazing doesn't change the bear's behavior anyway.
… I feel that hazing has been responsible for the killing by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department of both of 610's cubs in 2021. Hard hazing the cubs with rubber bullets and cracker shells, less than a week after 610 kicked out the sub adults, contributed to them splitting up and it drove the cubs out of their home range in the National Park, leading to their demise. It's always better if sub adults can stay together after being kicked out."
Asked about suggestions on working with Felicia, Mangelsen says, 'Firstly, I highly recommend Highway Patrol to go up regularly on the mountain pass with a radar gun. Many people {drivers}, including big semis and tourists, speed there, endangering everyone.
Secondly, get a bear ambassador up there to educate the people to stay in their cars when the bears are around, park off the road, etc. They don't have that. If they had one agency out of the many involved that would take control, with good people skills AND good bear behavior knowledge, that would be helpful.
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear
As adorable as they are, cubs habituated to human food grow up and are transported away (if they are lucky) or killed to protect the humans who habituated them in the first place. Love wildlife? We are responsible for their survival. A fed bear is a dead bear. Image: ©Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven
While human behavior on the roadsides can be bad enough, other tourists – and locals – are feeding the bears.
Last year several human-habituated bears were killed by WFGD. In their first year without their mother (610), these young bears were fed by tourists at a campsite and found food rewards in unsecured trash cans and other untended food.
The WFGD caught and relocated them; however, the young, human-food habituated bears returned to find an easy meal. Humans encourage dangerous behavior. The Wyoming Fish and Game Department ultimately killed them to keep humans safe. This is the case history of one bear.
The deaths of these two young bears directly resulted from humans behaving irresponsibly.
I wondered if the community of Jackson, which has had its issues with feeding, unsecured trash, and birdseed, was in a better position this year to handle its growing population and visitor numbers and the inevitable interactions with grizzlies?
Click here for bear safety rules from the National park Service. Image from the National Park Service
A Small but Giant Step Toward Human/Bear Co-Existence
It is illegal to feed grizzlies in and around the National Park, but investigations in 2021 proved deliberate feeding was a big problem, still, improper trash storage was even more widespread.
Improper Trash Storage is the #1 Cause of Bear / Human Conflict
Happily, in Teton County, home of all the above mentioned grizzlies, commissioners approved new measures to keep grizzlies safe(r), including bear-proof trash cans. Unfortunately, the county will not begin to enforce the new measures until November 2022, and worse, the town of Jackson is exempt as it has its own regulations.
Local organizations, lead by JH BearSolutions, stepped up to make sure the trash-can measure can reach its full potential for helping bear/human coexistence. They organized the purchase , storage, and distribution of the special Kodiak bear-resistant receptacles in and around the Jackson Hole to residents who would have a difficult time navigating the $350 - 400/per receptacle price tag.
Conclusion – Each of Us Bears Responsibility for Bear Survival
In the face of growing human and bear populations, the ultimate answer to human/bear coexistence in the Grand Teton area is still unclear. One of the challenges may be the variety of authorities managing the various public lands. It can seem like the agencies have different (sometimes opposing?) mindsets or willingness to prioritize the bears' safety.
We, who visit the Tetons in the hopes of seeing its wildlife, must remember that this is the bear’s home – not ours.
Our actions, no matter how well-intentioned, cause consequences for the bears. When we make a mistake, deliberately, or accidentally the bears pay the price. It is up to all of us to put our best foot forward – to behave responsibly.
Because ultimately, each of us are responsible for the health and safety of these much-loved bears.