Tag: grizzly 399

Grizzly Bear

Popular Grizzly Cub Killed by Car, Grand Teton National Park

Photo of a one year old grizzly cub.
Brownie’s Last Days

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.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Cub at Grand Teton National Park

Photo of 1.5 year old grizzly cub on its own.
Abandoned by Its Mother

I haven’t ever gone through Grand Teton on my way to or from Yellowstone, but I was leaning toward doing that on the way home this year when someone in Yellowstone told me of a spot to photograph a great gray owl.  That was all I needed to hear to make up my mind.  I didn’t find the owl, but this grizzly cub made up for it.

It is one of three cubs born to famous #399 a year and a half ago.  399 has become famous because of her habit of living with her cubs close to roads and humans.  Some believe she does this because boars are less likely to frequent such areas and thus the likelihood of a boar killing her cubs is lessened.  The downside to this is that her cubs can pick up the same habit and bears that are comfortable near humans and roads is not a good thing.  This cub is spending a lot of time close to the road at the intersection with Pilgrim Creek.

It’s not normal for a grizzly sow to give her cubs the boot at one year of age, but that’s what 399 does.  NPS says 399 was abandoned by her mom at that age and thus to 399 that’s what a mom does, I guess.  This cub’s chances of survival would seem to be lessened somewhat without the extra year of protection and education mom could provide.