I photographed this 1 and 1/2 year old cub on three or more occasions in early June of this year. Locals had named it “Brownie.” Each time the cub was between 100 and 200 yards from the road near Pilgrim Creek. Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that this is the same cub that was killed by a car on June 21st. For two articles about the accident, click here.
This is one of 399’s cubs. She is famous for her habit of staying near roads and people, at least when she has cubs. She is also famous for producing triplets, which is rare. I wrote about 399 and this cub previously and said that getting comfortable around roads and humans was not a good thing for cubs to learn. You can read that story here.
One thing I want to point out about this photo is that it’s pretty easy to tell that this is a 1 and 1/2 year old cub. Notice how long and narrow the face is. It’s not much different in shape than the face of a German Shepard dog. By the time a grizzly cub is one year older the face has changed a lot. For a photo of a 2 and 1/2 year old cub whose face is noticeably wider, click here. See the third photo. The cub is on the right. (Mom is still teaching junior the pecking order at dinner. A couple of days later this cub got the boot from mom and a boar that came calling.) For a photo of what the head of a really large grizzly looks like click here. Notice how small the eyes appear in relation to the head. Eyes grow little, if any, from birth.
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What a shame!! Just got back from the Tetons and Yellowstone. I pulled over numerous times to let cars pass by me. People still drive to fast and don’t pay attention despite the speed limit and signs all over stating wildlife may be on the roads. We saw such a variety of wildlife and enjoyed every minute of it (despite the 80’s and 90’s temps!!). Thanks for posting!
Yes it is a shame. The impression I got from the news accounts of what the driver said is that he was somewhat at fault. I’ll be curious to see what the highway patrol report ultimately says.