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       High atop a Wyoming mountain pass, there lives a very special Grizzly Bear.  Her name is Felicia. She is a warrior, a survivor, a queen's daughter,  and most important a momma bear. When I first laid eyes on the Grizzly named Felicia, she was leading her two young grizzly cubs through a snow squall. They would forage for food while navigating a slick mountain side populated with deadwood branches, trees and snow drifts. 

         Felicia was taught her survival skills by the queen of Grand Teton National Park. Felicia is the off-spring of the famous Grizzly 399. The legend of Griz 399 has been well documented, perhaps reaching the pinnacle the last few years after giving birth to four cubs in the spring of 2020. However, Felicia has her own legend.

Prior to having come out the den in the spring of 2021 with these these two beautiful cubs, Felicia was mother to a pair of cubs just a few short years ago.   

Through a series of events, one of the cubs was separated from their mother and sibling. There appeared to be quite a bit of controversy surrounding the events.  It does perhaps add to the legend, but my intention is not speculate on that man-made controversy but rather keep focus on the what happened with the grizzly bears.

  There were sightings of the lone cub. The consensus was that it would be against the odds if this little cub survived on it's own.

It took a few months, but finally the good news came.  Someone had driven out to the mountain pass and spotted the family reunited.  Felicia had her family back. 

There will be many people who read this story who are familiar with Felicia and the separated cub story. They will have a laundry list of items, points and facts that were omitted from the story they remembered or experienced.  Some want to shame officials. Some want to shame the momma bear for the long separation. Some want to shame photographers for taking photos of these beautiful creatures, when in all actuality we all want the same.  Everyone should strive to save and protect the Grizzly Bears so that they survive for generations to come.

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     Montana Photographer Terry Sweeney