Miracle, the last surviving cub of famous Grizzly 1063, has had a rough year. Its two siblings were cannibalized by a male bear in May, and then the cub separated from its mother at an unusually young age in June.
In July, Miracle was trapped by wildlife agents for hanging around the busy Colter Bay area of Grand Teton National Park. The cub was set loose in a remote area of the park, the National Park Service reported at the time.
Wildlife agents didn’t directly handle the yearling during the procedure, so its sex remains undetermined.
Sources who talked to Cowboy State Daily about the cub referred to Miracle as both “he” and “she.”
Young To Be Alone
Now at the tender age of about 18 months, the young bear is facing its first winter alone.
Fans are hopeful that Miracle will find a suitable hibernation den and make it through until next spring.
Grizzly cubs don’t typically separate from their mothers until they are at least age 2. That means Miracle would have been on track to spend another winter with its mom and split from Grizzly 1063, also called Bonita, sometime during summer 2026.
It’s not known for certain why Miracle separated from Bonita early. Some speculate the split might have resulted from the trauma of Miracle’s two siblings being killed and cannibalized by a male grizzly in May.
Large male grizzlies will sometimes kill cubs that aren’t theirs in hopes of putting the mother back into heat so they can mate with her.
While it’s unusual for cubs to split from their mothers that young, bear experts previously told Cowboy State Daily that it’s not unheard of, and the cubs sometimes survive to adulthood.
Miracle’s Story Mirrors That Of Spirit
This isn’t the first time that wildlife photographers and grizzly watchers have cheered on a Grand Teton cub that ended up alone too soon.
Similar hopes were held for Spirit, the last cub of Wyoming’s beloved Grizzly 399.
Spirit was roughly the same age as Miracle is now when Grizzly 399 was struck and killed by a vehicle south of Jackson in October 2024.
Spirit was reported fleeing the scene of the accident, and hasn’t been seen since.
There was some expectation that Spirit might emerge from hibernation. But as spring wore into summer, many observers said it was probably time to give up hope of ever seeing Spirit again.
Roadside Romp
Bill Beverly works at Lake Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. When he has time, he likes to travel to Grand Teton, where 1063 and Miracle live.
He told Cowboy State Daily that he recently came upon a “bear jam” in Grand Teton when Miracle appeared close to the road.
Beverly stopped to watch Miracle and take some photos, and said the young bear appeared to be energetic.
However, he’s worried that Miracle isn’t focused on gobbling down enough food to put on fat for the looming winter.
“He was just running around, almost playing like a cub,” he said. "It got me concerned that he’s not eating really well. He looked pretty big, but I have a feeling that could be mostly fur.
“About this time of year, grizzlies should have their noses down and be eating as much as they can."
Miracle, the last surviving cub of famed Grizzly 1063, recently appeared near a road in Grant Teton National Park. Miracles two siblings were killed by a male grizzly in May. (Courtesy Bill Beverly) 
Miracle, the last surviving cub of famed Grizzly 1063, recently appeared near a road in Grant Teton National Park. Miracles two siblings were killed by a male grizzly in May. (Courtesy Bill Beverly) 
Miracle, the last surviving cub of famed Grizzly 1063, recently appeared near a road in Grant Teton National Park. Miracles two siblings were killed by a male grizzly in May. (Courtesy Bill Beverly) 
Miracle, the last surviving cub of famed Grizzly 1063, recently appeared near a road in Grant Teton National Park. Miracles two siblings were killed by a male grizzly in May. (Courtesy Bill Beverly)
Mangelsen: Finding A Den Will Be The Key
Famed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen has followed the Teton grizzlies for years, and was largely responsible for making Grizzly 399 famous through his photographs of her and her numerous cubs over the years.
He previously told Cowboy State Daily that he blames the deaths of Miracle’s siblings on the Park Service for hazing the then-intact grizzly family away from Colter Bay.
The hazing likely separated the cubs from their mother, giving the male grizzly the opportunity to strike, Mangelsen argued.
The Park Service reported that 1063 and the cubs weren’t separated during hazing operations.
On Friday, Mangelsen told Cowboy State Daily that Miracle has a decent chance of making it alone.
“I think since Miracle has been orphaned from her mom, since early summer, she has a better chance than average to survive the winter,” he said.
“She has likely learned a lot about being alone, I would guess,” Mangelsen added. "But she is still pretty compromised without her mom to help going to find or make a den. She has pretty limited knowledge about winter and hopefully will rely on instinct for digging or finding a den."
Is A Reunion With Mom Possible?
Wyoming photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven said he hopes Miracle will reunite with 1063 before winter sets in.
He told Cowboy State Daily that he’s seen older cubs reunite with their mothers after temporary separations.
“It’s definitely possible at that age (1.5 years) for a lone cub to find a den and make it through the winter,” he said. "That being said, part of me hopes Miracle will reunite with 1063 prior to the winter, just like Pepper reunited with Felicia up on Togwotee Pass a few years ago when Pepper was that age and separated.
“1063 staying away from Miracle through the summer mating season may be a deliberate plan to keep him/her safe from boars (male bears)."
‘She’s Done A Great Job’
Jackson photographer Savannah Rose said she admires Miracle’s resourcefulness.
“There have been cases where grizzly yearlings make it on their own just fine. Of course, ideally, she (Miracle) would have a mother, but she would be going off on her own next year anyway,” Rose said.
“She’s done a great job managing to survive by being as low key as possible and I see no reason why this bear can’t survive despite the odds being against her,” she added. “Although this is a grizzly bear, black bears boot their cubs at one year, so it’s not like it’s wildly unheard of for young bears to make it out on their own."
Julie Argyle is postmaster at Lake Village in Yellowstone and also enjoys following the Grand Teton grizzlies.
She told Cowboy State Daily that she’s staking her hopes for Miracle on the natural resilience she’s seen in all wildlife.
“I would just say animals are resilient, and they surprise us all the time,” she said. "I would think that instincts would lead it to den and we can hope that this little cub has gotten all the nutrients it needs to make it through the winter."
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
