Bruno, one of Grand Teton National Park’s most popular bears, looked like a nightmare last fall, with oozing gashes across his face.
This spring, Bruno emerged from hibernation looking like a new bear, with his face healed and sporting a new GPS tracking collar.
Nobody’s certain how he suffered the wounds, though it’s likely that he was viciously clawed during a fight with another male.
There was also talk that a hugely popular female bear, Grizzly 610, inflicted Bruno’s wounds, but some grizzly watchers don’t believe that story.
Bruno’s recovery was thanks in part to wound treatment administered by a team of wildlife researchers who captured him last fall.
However, Bruno was captured strictly for research purposes, not to treat his wounds. That just ended up being part of the deal.
Wyoming and federal wildlife agents and scientists generally have a hands-off approach toward such things as wildlife injuries, preferring to let nature take its course.
Bruno, a popular male grizzly in Grand Teton National Park, had nasty facial wounds last fall. It’s thought he suffered them during a fight with another male. (Courtesy Allie Swafford) 
Bruno, a popular male grizzly in Grand Teton National Park, had nasty facial wounds last fall. It’s thought he suffered them during a fight with another male. (Courtesy Allie Swafford) 
Bruno, a popular male grizzly in Grand Teton National Park, had nasty facial wounds last fall. It’s thought he suffered them during a fight with another male. (Courtesy Allie Swafford)
Cause Of Wounds Unknown
Bruno is one of the largest male grizzlies in the Grand Teton/Yellowstone National Park region and a fan favorite among tourists and wildlife photographers.
He and Wyoming’s most famous bear, Grizzly 399, were frequently seen together during mating season in years past, and he’s thought to have sired many of Grizzly 399’s cubs.
Grizzly 399 was struck and killed by a vehicle south of Jackson in October 2024.
During his capture last fall, Bruno was treated for facial injuries out of an abundance of caution, bear researcher Matthew Gould told Cowboy State Daily.
“We let nature take its course and do not set traps with the intention of treating injured bears,” said Gould, a biologist and team leader with the U.S. Geological Servey Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team.
"Our trapping efforts are strictly for research and are designed to obtain a representative sample of the population,” he added.
Researchers refer to Bruno, age 22 years, as GB0679, or Grizzly 679.
“We do not know how GB0679 sustained the facial injuries. From our standpoint, the specific cause is unknown,” Gould said.
When Bruno was captured, he was healthy and “in good body condition,” he said.
“We fitted him with a GPS radio collar that is providing valuable information on survival, habitat use, and movement patterns, including identifying areas where grizzly bears are most likely to cross roads,” he added.
If wounds are found on a grizzly after its been tranquilized and researchers are handling it, it’s standard procedure to treat the wounds in case they were related to the bear’s capture, Gould said.
In Bruno’s case, it was determined that his facial wounds hadn’t been caused by his capture.
“However, we treated the wound in case the capture process further exacerbated the injury and because it's our standard procedure for any bear we capture,” Gould said.
Grizzlies are resilient and frequently recover from injuries on their own, he said.
Bruno Goes On Walkabout
Fans were relieved to see Bruno’s face looking good again.
“There was a lot of concern for Bruno, but after seeing how he looks this year, those concerns are gone,” wildlife photographer Allie Swafford told Cowboy State Daily.
“He came out this spring with plenty of healthy weight, and the remnants of his battle wound from last year are almost unnoticeable," she added.
Sandy Mell, who has watched the Grand Teton bears for years, said Bruno is going about his regular spring routine.
“He does his walkabout,” she said.
As usual, Bruno came through the willow flats in the north end of the park, and was last seen about a week ago, she said.
Then, “he swam across the river and walked into the woods,” Mell said.
He’s thought to be in the remote Signal Mountain area, which is his next usual stop during his spring walkabouts, she added.
Did 610 Claw Bruno?
There was a rumor that Grizzly 610 clawed Bruno’s face, but renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen told Cowboy State Daily that he doesn’t think that’s what happened.
“I got tired hearing that 610 was a mean bear and finally wrote something on a (social media) post that someone had written,” he said.
According to witnesses that Mangelsen called “reliable sources,” Grizzly 610 was feeding on an elk carcass last fall when Bruno came along, he said.
But the two bears didn’t fight, they mated, he said, adding that Bruno has sired some of Grizzly 610’s cubs.
Moreover, there’s no way that Grizzly 610 could have gotten into a fight with Bruno and emerged unscathed, because he’s twice her size, Mangelsen said.
“She would have lost half her face with one swipe of Bruno’s paws. She had no signs of getting into a fight,” he said.
Another male grizzly was spotted in the area at about the same time and might have been the bear that Bruno fought with, Mangelsen said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
