JACKSON- Wildlife officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Grand Teton National Park worked cooperatively to trap and relocate a subadult male grizzly bear that had been frequenting developed areas near Moran over the weekend. The young bear appeared unafraid of people and repeatedly returned to developed areas despite attempts to haze it.

While the bear was not known to have received any human food rewards, managers believed the situation was escalating and that a preemptive capture was warranted to keep this bear from acquiring human food and/or causing property damage. The young bear was trapped early Saturday, June 28th and relocated the same day to a location along the Grassy Lake Road approximately 10 miles west of Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The release site is located within currently occupied grizzly bear habitat and the Grizzly Bear Primary Conservation Area.

Solitude is built in the flood plain of the river, and old river channels line the [mostly empty trophy] houses.

So, a bear walks down the river, still in the river bed, following his prey, and goes to sleep among the cottonwoods. He is shot with a dart and wakes up in a completely strange place, where his chances of survival are slim.

The news prompted a friend to ask, Can we trap and relocate the Solitude homeowners instead?

In this day and age where even rare animals such as grizzly bears are being taken off of the endangered species rosters, let’s hope 399 and all of her remarkable family have continuing solo careers as wonderful and durable as their time together as a family. May lonesome find a mate and bring us more grizzly children when the time is right. We hope to see one or more members of this legendary family again this summer come late July.