Male Offspring of Grizzly 399—the ‘World’s Most Famous Bear’—Killed by Vehicle in Grand Teton National Park The 5-year-old boar known as Grizzly 1058 was part of a rare litter of four cubs born in 2020 Grizzly 399 (left) reigned as the "Queen of the Tetons" until her death in October 2024. John Morrison via Getty Images Wildlife enthusiasts in Wyoming are mourning the death of Grizzly 1058, a male bear whose mother was known as the “world’s most famous grizzly.” Rangers discovered the 5-year-old boar’s body on the eastern side of Grand Teton National Park, according to a statement published this week. The bear appears to have been struck by a vehicle but made it to a patch of willows about 125 yards from the road before he died. The news hit hard for fans of the park’s bears. “I’m still reeling from it,” wildlife advocate and photographer Savannah Rose tells Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz. “It’s absolutely devastating.” On May 6, a ranger spotted scavenger birds gathering near Highway 26 while conducting a routine patrol, reports the Jackson Hole News & Guide’s Billy Arnold. The officer approached the area and found Grizzly 1058’s carcass. Additional park rangers, law enforcement officers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorities responded to the scene. They conducted a field necropsy, which revealed signs of trauma, and found grizzly fur and blood on the road. Together, these findings indicate the bear was hit by a car. Grizzly 1058 had likely been dead for three to seven days, based on the fact that roughly 20 percent of the carcass had been scavenged, per the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “The bear appeared to be in good condition for his age and the time of year,” according to the national park’s statement. “The bear’s remains were put back onto the landscape in Grand Teton National Park.” Grizzly 1058’s mother was Grizzly 399, a well-known bear that also lived in Grand Teton National Park. After Grizzly 399 was hit and killed by a car in October 2024, her death made headlines around the world and sent shockwaves through the Jackson Hole community. During her 28-year reign as the “Queen of the Tetons,” Grizzly 399 raised 18 cubs, including Grizzly 1058. But, to wildlife watchers and biologists, Grizzly 1058 was particularly special, because he was part of a rare litter of four cubs born in 2020. “Quadruplets” are unusual for grizzly bears, which typically have litters of two or three cubs. In the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, which includes Grand Teton National Park, just ten other known sets of “quads” had been documented since 1973, representing just 0.5 percent of all grizzly litters during that period, per the Jackson Hole News & Guide.Authorities outfitted two of the cubs with tracking collars after the bears started wandering into the town of Jackson to raid garbage cans, compost bins and bird feeders for food. Grizzly 1058 was one of the collared bears, along with his sibling Grizzly 1057. In 2022, officials with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department euthanized Grizzly 1057 after the bear became habituated to humans in the nearby community of Cora. Over the years, 11 of Grizzly 399’s 18 cubs have died, including three that were killed by vehicles. Wildlife watchers are holding out hope for the survival of “Spirit,” a juvenile bear that was orphaned when Grizzly 399 was killed last fall. It’s possible Spirit may not have made it through the winter, but optimistic grizzly fans are keeping an eye out for the young bear all the same. So far, they have only unconfirmed “rumors” that Spirit has been sighted, Rose tells Cowboy State Daily. Authorities with Grand Teton National Park are now investigating the death of Grizzly 1058. It’s possible that the wildlife-vehicle collision could lead to charges, but it might also be ruled an accident. The driver that struck and killed Grizzly 399 last fall, for example, was cleared after an investigation found no evidence of carelessness. “In the course of investigation, if we find sufficient evidence to pursue that law enforcement angle [for Grizzly 1058’s death], we’ll certainly do that,” says Justin Schwabedissen, the park’s bear biologist, to the Jackson Hole News & Guide. So far, authorities have not been able to determine if speed was a factor in the collision that killed Grizzly 1059, reports WyoFile’s Rebecca Huntington. Nevertheless, they encouraged drivers to slow down, use caution and obey posted speed limits. On many highways near the park, the speed limit is reduced at night to give drivers more time to react to wildlife. But overall, officials are struggling to manage vehicle-bear interactions. Younger bears in particular seem to be spending more time near roads—places biologists call “marginal habitat”—because their preferred habitat is already occupied. Between 2009 and 2023, 49 grizzly bears were killed by vehicles in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. That equates to an average of 3.3 bears per year. For comparison, roughly ten bears are killed each year by backcountry adventurers defending themselves, per the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “It’s terribly unfortunate that this happened,” says Brian DeBolt, large carnivore conflict coordinator with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, to WyoFile. “But it’s becoming all too common with these bears that spend so much time roadside.” Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.