Tourists and wildlife photographers love him and other bears in his territory dread him; Grizzly 970, the “van Gogh bear,” is the undisputed monarch of the west side of Yellowstone National Park.
He’s called van Gogh because he’s missing his right ear. Nobody knows for sure how it happened, but it’s widely accepted that it was bitten off in a brawl with another male about five years ago.
So Grizzly 970 was nicknamed after the famous artist Vincent van Gogh. In the throes of a mental breakdown in 1888, the artist van Gogh seized a razor and sliced off part of his left ear.
The van Gogh bear’s left ear is folded over, probably because of age. And his face is marked by a collection of battle scars.
Grizzly 970 is a magnificent sight, looking every inch the brawler that he is, wildlife photographer Bill Little told Cowboy State Daily.
“I always think of him as my favorite gnarly grizzly bear,” he said.
Still A Force To Be Reckoned With
The van Gogh bear is estimated to be about 18 to 22 years old. That’s getting up there for a grizzly, but observers say he’s still vibrant and absolutely dominates his territory.
He’s also known to get cranky with people from time to time. In 2021, he charged a park ranger who drove him off with non-lethal shotgun rounds. A video of the incident went viral.
Across a swath of territory ranging from Norris Junction to Mammoth Hot Springs, the van Gogh bear is king, wildlife photographer Julie Argyle told Cowboy State Daily.
“He’s pretty famous for just being over there on that west side. Those sows (female grizzlies) over there have a hard time because their cubs get killed a lot. Although I’m not saying he’s responsible for that,” she said.
“Grizzly 970 is just the guy over there on the west side,” she added.
Wild Chase Scene
In May 2025, Little watched the van Gogh bear chase another famous Yellowstone grizzly, Obsidian, and her two cubs.
The mama bear displayed great courage, he said.
“Obsidian let her cubs go ahead of her and then challenged Grizzly 970 several times to chase her,” he said.
“He did, and that allowed the cubs to escape,” Little added.
And Obsidian got away, too.
‘A Grizzly Bear’s Bear’
The van Gogh bear has been spotted, photographed and caught on video a few times this spring, looking as huge, healthy and onery as ever.
His admirers couldn’t be happier.
Little said that watching the van Gogh bear is like viewing a raw force of nature in action.
“It’s a really big bear. He’s a grizzly bear’s bear. He’s had a rough life, like you would expect a grizzly to have,” Little said.
“He just marches through his area, where the sows are raising their cubs, and he seems to dominate everything. All the other bears get out of his way,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
