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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Newly emerged from their winter dens, grizzly bears are wandering out in the open in Grand Teton National Park, drawing crowds of wildlife watchers, photographers and others seeking a glimpse — from a safe distance.
A number of grizzly bears have been visible in the northern reaches of the park in northwest Wyoming, said Kate Wilmot, a bear management specialist with the National Park Service.
"Since about April 17, the bears have been active on a daily basis up in the Oxbow, Willow Flats area," Wilmot said.
One grizzly known by the research number 610 and her two 1-year-old cubs have attracted a number of onlookers.
In addition, Grand Teton staff have documented three other grizzlies, including two marked bears, in the area, Wilmot said.
Jackson wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, who's been out in the park the past five days, said that his tally is at "six or seven" adult grizzlies, three of which are "extra-large" bears given pet names Bruno, Brutus and Bigfoot.
"Everybody's speculating which one is which," Mangelsen told the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/1Tg1qyX). "But they're kind of hard to tell apart, and they're all collared."
The collars, which allow wildlife managers to identify and keep tabs on the bears, are attached to trapped and sedated grizzlies every year for routine research and monitoring of a species that for now is federally protected and managed as threatened.
A 2014 Journal of Environmental Management study found that in nearby Yellowstone National Park grizzlies along roadsides contribute as much as $10 million in spending annually to the local economy.
Missing from the scene thus far has been bear 399, a 20-year-old sow that a decade ago started raising her cubs in clear view of Grand Teton's northern roads. Labeled by some as the most famous grizzly in the world, 399 last fall had 2 1/2-year-old cubs that were sent out on their own.
That's reason to believe she may emerge from her den with a fresh litter, Wilmot said. "If she does, based on the past, we probably won't see her until about mid-May," she said.
Sows with new cubs are the last grizzlies to come out of hibernation, she said.
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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com
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