Wyoming’s most famous wildlife celebrities, Grizzly 399 and her enormous cub Spirit, have been making themselves scarce this summer, but some who’ve followed the bears for years say it isn’t time to worry yet.
“She has been really elusive,” renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen told Cowboy State Daily on Monday. “The last known sighting was in early September near Moose” in Grand Teton National Park.
“She should show up soon,” added Mangelson, who has followed Grizzly 399 since 2006, and has probably taken more images of her and her various cubs over the years than any other photographer.
399’s Offspring, Grizzly 610, Out And About
Two other professional Wyoming wildlife photographers who follow 399, Savannah Rose Burgess and Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven, likewise told Cowboy State Daily that they hadn’t seen the bear and her cub in the past couple weeks or so.
Vangoidtsenhoven said the last confirmed sighting he knew of was “in the south section of the park where the berries grow.”
Right now is about when grizzlies really start gorging themselves as they fatten up for winter hibernation.
Some other famous bears, such as Grizzly 610, have been “seen in the usual area in the park’s northern area,” he added.
Grizzly 610 is one of 399’s grown offspring and has had numerous cubs of her own.
She gave Teton grizzly fans a scare October 2023, when she was apparently struck by a semitruck and languished in pain by the roadside for hours while her cubs watched from a distance.
She later appeared to fully recover on her own and rejoined her cubs.
Cub As Big As Momma Now?
Spirit charmed Grizzly 399’s global fanbase when he first appeared with his mother in May 2023.
Since then, he’s been noted for his huge size. Many speculate that Spirit grew so fast and so large because he didn’t have any siblings to compete with.
399’s previous set of cubs were extremely rare quadruplets, born in 2020.
Grizzly cubs typically stay with their mothers for two to three years. 399 raised all four of her quadruplets until they took off on their own in summer 2022.
However one of them, a male, was killed by wildlife agents shortly thereafter on the claim that he’d been involved in too many conflicts with humans.
Many refused to believe that claim, and were livid over the juvenile bear being killed.
If things stay on the usual grizzly schedule, Spirit could be ready to part ways with 399 next summer.
Grizzly 399 will be 29 by then, a truly advanced age for grizzlies, which almost never live to 30 in the wild.
But bear exerts previously told Cowboy State Daily that they were reasonably confident that Grizzly 399 will at least live long enough to see Spirit off on his own.
According to reports from the most recent sightings, 399 and Spirit appeared to be in excellent health, and the cub is about the same size as his mother, Vangoidtsenhoven said.
Lingering Effects Of 2021 Cub Trappings?
When asked if it’s usual for 399 to disappear this time of year, Mangelsen said, “Yes and no.”
Her being somewhat shy the past few years could be because of the lingering effects of three of her quadruplet cubs being trapped in 2021, along with subsequent hazing at that time – reportedly to keep the bears out settled areas near Jackson.
“She has been more elusive since her three cubs were captured as yearlings in the fall 2021 in late October,” he said. “I don’t know if there is a correlation, but think so. She was hazed a lot during that time since she had gone south of town.”
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
