This story was updated Wednesday evening to reflect the sheriff’s response and another photographer’s perspective.

The famous grizzly bear 399 was struck and killed by a car in the Snake River Canyon south of Jackson on Highway 26 on Tuesday evening, October 22.

At age 28, she was the oldest known reproducing female in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Photos of the popular mama bear and her cubs circulated around the world.

“It’s just very surreal,” says a local photographer, Sue Cedarholm, who took photos of grizzly bear 399 for almost two decades. “She’s an old bear and we knew her time was coming to an end, but you just hate it if it’s a car accident.”

She urged people to remember grizzly 399’s legacy. She was the first roadside bear in the Tetons and raised her many cubs in and around Grand Teton National Park.

“She brought so much attention to bears and grizzlies,” Cedarholm said. “So I think we need to remember how lucky we were to have her in our lives and what an amazing bear she was.”

399 was the career inspiration for Wilson native Syler Peralta-Ramos. Early one morning before he could drive himself, Peralta-Ramos, 26, convinced his father to drive him to Grand Teton National Park. They were north of Pilgrim Creek when Peralta-Ramos spotted her across the road: 399 with two yearlings.

“She was the first grizzly bear I ever saw. And the first grizzly bears I ever had the opportunity to photograph,” Peralta-Ramos said. “The pictures were horrible, but I remember it clearly because it was such a special moment to see her and see her with cubs.”

Peralta-Ramos has since apprenticed with Tom Mangelsen, the region’s most famous nature photographer, and currently works part-time in the Mangelsen editorial office. Peralta-Ramos recalled the words Mangelsen said in an interview years ago, saying 399 had taught people what it means to live with wildlife.

“She has redefined a species that has historically been much vilified,” he said, “and shown us that we have a lot more in common with them than I think a lot of people realize.”

399 will remain a symbol of humanity’s relationship to the natural world, Peralta-Ramos said.

“Even though she’s gone, I don’t think this is the end of her story.”

Authorities confirmed her identity with an ear tag and a microchip. According to US Fish and Wildlife, her one-year-old cub was with her, but his location is now unknown.

Lincoln County sheriff’s deputies responded to a collision involving a Subaru, model not reported, Tuesday evening around 10:30 p.m. after the bear entered the driver’s lane, according to an incident report. The driver was reported to be fine and not listed. The speed limit in that section is set at 55 miles per hour.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Capt. Brian Andrews said it was “unusual” for a grizzly to be hit in that section. He called it a “freak accident.”
This is the second grizzly death due to a car accident this year. On average, about three die in vehicle crashes each year in the GYE.

Highway 26, where 399 people died, is notorious for wildlife collisions. The state recently has applied for funding to build wildlife crossings along that route.

Sophia Boyd-Fliegel and Melodie Edwards contributed to this story.