Speed ​​of unknown factor for the death of Grizzly 1058, one of the descendants of 399

From Rebecca Huntington

A grizzly death that is due to a fatal vehicle strike has triggered an output of people on social media who drive too fast, but the law enforcement authorities could not determine whether speed was a factor for the collision.

The bear, who died, Grizzly 1058, is one of the famous “Quads” of her even more famous mother Grizzly 399, who died last year after being hit by a vehicle on a motorway south of Jackson.

In the death of Grizzly 399, the authorities decided that the driver did not accelerate.

With regard to Grizzly 1058, “law enforcement rangers could not determine whether speed was a factor in the collision, said Emily Davis, spokeswoman for Grand Teton National Park, in an e -mail on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, parking officers asked people to slow down the bear in a press release on Tuesday and to be vigilant for wild animals.

While reducing speeds can help protect the animal world along the Wyoming motorways, this is not the only factor that sets the stage for fatal collisions.

“It is terribly regrettable that this happened,” said Brian Debolt, the coordinator of the great carnivores of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “But with these bears that spend so much time on the side of the road, it becomes too common.”

The more time bears hang near streets, the higher the likelihood that they will be hit and killed by a vehicle, said Debolt. Games and fish find that younger bears, like the 5-year-old Subadult on Tuesday, are forced to live in more marginal living space along the road edges, since more main habitats are already occupied.

What Park Officer has confirmed so far is that Grizzly had been seen in the park in 1058 since he and his three siblings were separated from her mother in 2022. But there were no confirmed sightings of him this spring, according to the park approval.

Park Law Enforcement found the remains of the bear on Tuesday in a piece of willow, about 125 meters from the highway, within the park boundaries east of the Buffalo Fork River. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that a law enforcement guard found the dead bear after he had relaxed and stopped Ravens and Eagles along the Autobahn to investigate. The park bear biologist informed the News & Guide that the animal was probably there for several days.

“The examination showed that the bear was hit by a vehicle and it was a willow platform of 125 meters from the road, where he succumbed to his injuries,” says the park's publication.

The park was based on earphones and a “mine” day to identify the 5 -year -old bear, of which in the parking was “seemed” seemed to be in good condition for his age and the season. ”

More on that than speed

On the outer park in Highway, diverse traffic – including commuters and semis – and higher speed boundaries than the Inner Park Road. Right on the highway on Togwotee Pass, where vehicles hit Grizzlies on the side of the road, wildlife managers and law enforcement agencies had difficulty managing the traffic jams created by Bear Watchers.

Since more and more bears live on the roadside and get used to people, the more collision risk, said Debolt on Wednesday. “We don't want bears to be so comfortable on the side of the road,” he added.

The speed limit of the Togwotee Pass is 55 miles per hour, but as soon as the drivers crossed the Grand Teton National Park, there is a nightly speed implicit of 45 miles per hour on the same highway. Safety concerns along this highway, on which she crossed through the Bridger-Ton National Forest, prompted a retired American fish and wildlife service to suggest a “Grizzly Bear Tempolimit”.

“Perhaps we should consider having a grizzly bear -vibration limit, you know when the bears are on the highway,” said Steve Stoinski, a retired fish and wildlife service day who spent a summer to manage Bärenstaus on Togwotee Pass.

But this speed limit would only work with regular enforcement, Stoinski told Wyofile.

Debolt said he was open to reducing the speed limits if it would reduce collisions of the wildlife vehicle and was reasonable and logistically possible. However, setting speed boundaries is not the game and the call of fish. Debolt also sees larger factors in the game.

“Although it might seem to be a simple solution,” said Debolt. “It's not that easy.”

In the National Parks Grand Teton and Yellowstone, in which the speed restrictions are enforced, wild animals still die in vehicle reversals, said Debolt.

“We have to see what we can do to promote the safety of bears in the long term,” said Debolt. “From the agency's point of view, we try to discourage them from the side of the road.”

This is one reason why Game and Fish worked with several federal, state and local partners to proactively manage Bear Jams on the Togwotee Pass, he said.

Park Law Enforcement and the US fish and wildlife service examine this recent death. Grizzlies are protected nationwide as an endangered species.

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This article was originally published by Wyofile and is published here again with permission. Wyofile is an independent non -profit news organization that focuses on Wyoming people, places and politics.

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