After its two siblings were apparently killed by a male bear this spring, the last remaining yearling cub of the famous Grizzly 1063 was trapped and relocated on its own by wildlife officials.
The cub was trapped Thursday in the Colter Bay area of Grand Teton National Park, the Jackson Hole News And Guide reported.
It was set loose again in a more remote area, still in its mother’s home range. The yearling and 1063 hadn’t been seen together since June 2. That indicated that the yearling might have been trying to strike out on its own — which is unusual, but not unheard of, for a grizzly that young.
Wildlife agents didn’t directly handle the yearling during the procedure, so its sex remains undetermined.
Retired federal ecologist Chuck Neal said that given the yearling’s apparent taste for independence, it’s most likely a male.
Young grizzlies usually stay with their mothers until age 2. But it’s not unheard of for yearlings to survive on their own, Neal said.
“Yearlings have a pretty good track record of making it on their own,” he said.
“They’ve gone through a full year’s life cycle with their mother, knowing what she eats and where she goes,” Neal added.
Siblings Killed By Male Grizzly
While the late Grizzly 399 remains Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 1063 is well-known and popular. She’s typically been highly visible for wildlife photographers and admirers. She emerged from hibernation this spring with three yearling cubs in tow.
The bear family was hanging around the settled Colter Bay area in the park, and park officials hazed them away.
In mid-May, two of the three cubs were killed and partly cannibalized by male bear, the National Park Service (NPS) reported.
Some claimed that the hazing separated 1063 and her cubs, making the cubs more vulnerable and contributing to their deaths.
The NPS reported there was no evidence that the hazing had separated the bears prior to the cubs’ deaths.
The last yearling initially went missing but was spotted back with Grizzly 1063 a few days later.
But then they separated again, and the cub continued to hang around Colter Bay, which is why the NPS opted to trap and relocate it.
Neal said it was unusual for the yearling to take off on its own again so shortly after reuniting with Grizzly 1063.
“It’s not surprising that they would reunite. It’s not as common that they would then separate again, but it does happen,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
