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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.

  Felicia has decided to protect herself and her young by dwelling somewhat near roads and human activity, much like many of the grizzly sows with cubs in Yellowstone an Teton Park. According to National Park Rangers that I have spoken with, random encounters between a sow in tow with cubs; and a random grizzly boar males could result in a grizzly cub getting killed by that boar. The younger the cubs, the more the risk goes up. I was informed by the Rangers that the boar grizzlies appear to be less aggressive towards the cubs near the roads or at least there appears to be less attacks that they have documented. So they theorize survival tactics have been taught, learned and ingrained, much like many other species.

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.   

     Montana Photographer Terry Sweeney