Grizzly — son of famed ‘Queen of the Tetons' — found dead along MT park highway
National Grizzly — son of famed 'Queen of the Tetons' — found dead along MT park highway
A son of a beloved grizzly bear known as 'Queen of the Tetons' was hit and killed by a car along the same highway where famed mother was hit and killed in October, officials said.
National Park Service
One of the sons of a beloved mother grizzly bear known as 'Queen of the Tetons' was hit and killed by a car, just seven months after his famous mama bear was killed in the same way near Yellowstone, officials said.
Grand Teton National Park rangers found the bear's body on May 6 along Highway 26 in the park east of the Buffalo Fork River, officials said in a news release.
Law enforcement and wildlife rangers coordinated an investigation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and determined the bear was hit by a car and 'made it to a patch of willows about 125 yards from the road,' where it died, officials said. The bear may have been dead for several days before being discovered.
Wildlife rangers identified the bear as GB1058, one of the four cubs from GB399 — better known as 'Queen of the Tetons' — in May 2020. He had been spotted occasionally in the park since he was weaned in 2022, but there hadn't been any confirmed sightings of him this spring, officials said.
The now 5-year-old bear was 'in good condition for his age and the time of year,' and officials put his body 'back onto the landscape' in the park.
Grizzly bear 399 was hit and killed by a car on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson, Wyoming, in October, McClatchy News previously reported. The 28-year-old mother grizzly was the oldest known reproducing grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Both grizzly bears 399 and her son 1058 were featured in a PBS documentary that premiered in May 2024 where she was crowned 'Queen of the Tetons.' The documentary followed her as she raised her four cubs and discussed 'human encroachment in bear country' as one of the threats to their survival, McClatchy News reported.
'Bears, elk, deer, moose, foxes and other wildlife are often near park roadways, difficult to see, and can cross the road unexpectedly,' officials said. 'Drivers are reminded to:
Obey the posted speed limit and maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles.
Use caution and slow down, especially at dawn, dusk and at night when visibility is reduced.
Follow the nighttime speed limit of 45 miles per hour on U.S. Highway 26/89/191. The reduced speed limit gives drivers and wildlife more time to react.
Pay attention to your surroundings. Speeding is not the only cause of wildlife collisions; park wildlife are often hit because drivers are distracted.
Call Teton Interagency Dispatch Center at 307-739-3301 to report wildlife-vehicle collisions, or harassment of wildlife in the park.'
Brooke Baitinger
McClatchy DC Go to X Email this person
Brooke (she/them) is a McClatchy Real-Time reporter who covers LGBTQ+ entertainment news and national parks out west. They studied journalism at the University of Florida, and previously covered LGBTQ+ news for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. When they're not writing stories, they enjoy hanging out with their cats, riding horses or spending time outdoors.
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