A Grand Gift of Grizzlies

Grizzly Bear Number 399 takes an early morning stroll through a meadow of wildflowers in Grand Teton National Park.  Bear 399 became Jackson Hole's most famous bear after raising three litters of triplets over a ten year span while spending countless hours in full view of park visitors.  Grizzlies typically have two cubs and often just a single cub at a time, with three cubs being far less common.

Roughly one month after this photograph was taken, one of the two darker cubs became separated from its mother for an unknown reason.  Most likely, the separation was due to an encounter with another bear.  This cub was subsequently adopted by its half sister, Bear 610, 399's daughter from her original set of triplets.  Bear 610, who was then four years old, had two spring cubs of her own and never seemed to miss a beat adding a third cub to her entourage.

Grizzly cubs typically stay with their mothers for two years before being left to fend for themselves, and although cub adoption amount grizzlies is rare, it has been previously documented on several occasions.

In the spring of 2020, and at the age of 24, Grizzly 399 surprised and thrilled her many fans when she arrived on the scene with a brood of four new cubs in tow.