Standing Grzzly Bear Cubs and mom in Grand Teton National Park – click through to purchase print or license photo
Walking tall, Grizzly cub stepping out in Grand Teton National Park
Grizzly 399 produces triplets again, or so it seems. Absent is the red ear tag bling that positively identified her in the past. Nonetheless a 400-pound road tolerant grizzly sow has shown up in Grizzly 399’s territory with three new adorable cubs. With my caveat stated, we will assume this is 399.
This prolific sow produced her first cub around 2001 and her first triplets in 2006, the second set of triplets in 2011 and now a third bunch of fur balls for spring of 2013. As much as people all over the world have grown to love grizzly 399, although unlikely, I hope this is a different sow. The reason being, the only know surviving cub of 399’s 2011 crop of cubs is the cub her daughter, grizzly #610 of the 2006 crop of cubs, adopted when it got separated from sow 399 in August of 2011. Yep it’s a lot of numbers, are we confused yet?
Grizzly sow 399 is now seventeen years old and it appears she isn’t the awesome parent she once was. Grizzlies in the wild live to be about twenty years old so #399 is into her senior years and evidently isn’t as attentive as she once was. These cubs will have a better chance for survival if this sow is a different and younger one than our old, favorite matriarch grizzly of the Greater Yellowstone.
Hi Daryl, I was in Grand Teton last week and became fascinated with the stories around 399 and 610. I have been reading your blogs and had a question about Brownie. After Ash was hit by a car, you mentioned that Brownie disappeared into the wilderness. Do you know if he was tracked, if he is safe and how he is fairing? Brownie must have been devastated to lose his sibling, especially given they were having to fin for themselves at such a young age. Also, it makes me sad that 399 is getting up there in age. Do you know what happens when cubs lose their mama? Do they survive, get adopted or get killed by a boar. I know this is all a part of nature, but it kills me to think about – I am such an animal lover. 🙂 Thanks for your reply and keep up the blogs – I love them.
Hi Brad, It was Brownie that got hit by the car and Ash that disappeared. Ash never showed up this year and likely died somehow. Hopefully 399 will have better luck with this batch of cubs.
399 was weaned herself when she was a one year old cub, it is tougher to survive but survive 399 has done. 399’s daughter 610 adopted one of the cubs of 399’s 2011 batch of cubs. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hi Kevin, there have been a few brief sighting, but no photo that I have seen posted for awhile, April and May ought to be good though, she will likely wean her two cubs around June first, but from mid April until then there ought to be a lot of activity in northern GTNP. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hi Daryl, I was in Grand Teton last week and became fascinated with the stories around 399 and 610. I have been reading your blogs and had a question about Brownie. After Ash was hit by a car, you mentioned that Brownie disappeared into the wilderness. Do you know if he was tracked, if he is safe and how he is fairing? Brownie must have been devastated to lose his sibling, especially given they were having to fin for themselves at such a young age. Also, it makes me sad that 399 is getting up there in age. Do you know what happens when cubs lose their mama? Do they survive, get adopted or get killed by a boar. I know this is all a part of nature, but it kills me to think about – I am such an animal lover. 🙂 Thanks for your reply and keep up the blogs – I love them.
Hi Brad, It was Brownie that got hit by the car and Ash that disappeared. Ash never showed up this year and likely died somehow. Hopefully 399 will have better luck with this batch of cubs.
399 was weaned herself when she was a one year old cub, it is tougher to survive but survive 399 has done. 399’s daughter 610 adopted one of the cubs of 399’s 2011 batch of cubs. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Hi Daryl. Haven’t seen many new images of 399 and her remaining 2 most of the summer. Has she gone hiding?
KC
Hi Kevin, there have been a few brief sighting, but no photo that I have seen posted for awhile, April and May ought to be good though, she will likely wean her two cubs around June first, but from mid April until then there ought to be a lot of activity in northern GTNP. Thanks for visiting and commenting.