Beautiful Bonita

One of my favorite things about the grizzly bears of Grand Teton is that some of them are more than anonymous bears on the landscape. We know their histories, their families, their tragedies, and their triumphs. Following these family trees over the years has given me a much deeper appreciation not only for grizzly bears as a species, but for the individual animals themselves.

1063, also known as Bonita, is one of those bears. Her name, which means beautiful, has always seemed fitting to me. In the spring of 2024, she emerged with triplets. By the following spring, only one of those cubs remained with her. The other two had been killed the previous week by a male grizzly who was not their father.

I photographed Bonita with her surviving yearling on this day in the spring of 2025. It was one of the first times I remember confronting the harsh realities of nature through an individual animal I had come to know and follow. Wildlife loss feels different when you know the history behind the animals standing in front of you.

Bonita's story continues. In 2026, she emerged with another set of triplets, which she is currently raising. Following bears like Bonita through loss, survival, and new generations is part of what makes the grizzlies of Grand Teton so extraordinary to me. The more I learn about them as individuals, the more meaningful every encounter becomes.