GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK — After the last surviving cub of Grizzly 1063 was trapped and translocated from Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) on July 3, the yearling has remained outside the perimeter of the developed area, as of Monday, July 14.
Justin Schwabedissen, bear biologist for GTNP, discussed with Buckrail the reasons for the relocation, the yearling’s most recent whereabouts and its chances for survival.
According to Schwabedissen, Grizzly 1063 is the daughter of Grizzly 793 (Blondie) and gained attention for emerging from hibernation with her very first litter of three yearling cubs in the spring of 2024, at eight years of age. This past spring, Schwabedissen noted that 1063 was frequently observed lingering outside of the Colter Bay area with all three cubs. In May, two of 1063’s three cubs were killed in what is thought to have been a grizzly attack, with the surviving yearling briefly separated from its mother.
On the afternoon of June 1, Schwabedissen said that the yearling was no longer with its mother. He explained that grizzlies typically wean their offspring at two years old, but there are documented cases of bears weening their cubs as yearlings in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. GTNP wildlife officials then made the decision not to handle or collar the yearling, so its sex and other biological characteristics remain unknown.
“We don’t know what exactly caused the separation on June 1,” Schwabedissen said. “The yearling showed up on June 2 on its own, and it has remained independent since then.”
Once 1063’s yearling ventured out on its own, it began to “localize onto the developed region,” according to Schwabedissen. The young bear was found “investigating” a fire ring and various trash containers in the campground. To set the yearling up for “a better chance of success,” Schwabedissen said a decision was made to capture the bear using a culvert trap, and relocate it to a different region of its mother’s home range.
“The yearling is just really curious,” Schwabedissen said. “It’s a young, inquisitive bear and at that age, it’s still trying to figure out the ways of the world. A bear like that is more likely to get into a food reward or some type of unsecured bear attractant.”
Since the yearling’s translocation, it has been observed around the perimeter of Colter Bay, Schwabedissen said. For several weeks, the yearling was even seen in close proximity to its mother, but the bears did not reunite. As of Monday, July 14, the yearling has not been observed in the developed area since its relocation, and there has not been another confirmed sighting of 1063.
“It’s very likely that she [1063] has moved to other areas of her home range,” Schwabedissen said.
Schwabedissen expects that sightings of the yearling will become less and less frequent, especially because 1063 frequented other areas inside and outside of the park when she had all three cubs in tow last summer. He said the yearling is shy around people, which is advantageous toward its longterm survival. Schwabedissen is encouraged by the yearling staying clear of developed areas in recent weeks, but stressed the importance of visitors allowing appropriate space so the bear “can walk across the landscape unimpeded.”
“This yearling is likely to start using the other areas that it went to with its mother last year, as it takes advantage of other seasonally available foods,” Schwabedissen said.
GTNP wildlife officials have increased their monitoring of the Colter Bay area, and will continue to observe other young bears due to the “risks in developed areas” including people, traffic and unsecured attractants. Schwabedissen said there has been increased bear activity in the Jenny Lake area this summer, and encouraged park visitors to store attractants to help “keep bears wild and people safe.”
“There’s always a risk that something has been left out that we don’t catch soon enough,” Schwabedissen said. “If a bear takes advantage of that, it can lead to that bear becoming food conditioned and increasingly seeking out those types of anthropogenic food sources.”
Schwabedissen reminds visitors that a bear walking down a trail is not necessarily a threat.
“You don’t need to spray that bear if it’s not running directly at you, at close range,” Schwabedissen said. “You might have to make some noise to encourage the bear off the trail or you may have to step off the trail to let the bear go by.”
Schwabedissen said that while bears are allowed to move through developed areas in the park, officials will continue to work to keep bears from becoming habituated to populated areas.
