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    • Grizzly 399, ‘Queen of the Grand Tetons’ in Wyoming, killed by vehicle
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    Grizzly 399, ‘Queen of the Grand Tetons’ in Wyoming, killed by vehicle

    Vaseline Posted on

    Grizzly 399 was carrying a yearling cub when she was struck by the vehicle. The cub’s whereabouts are unknown, but there is no evidence it was involved. Grizzly 399 was featured in a PBS documentary.

    Grizzly 399, a beloved mother bear known as the queen of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, has died after being struck by a car, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said.

    The 28-year-old brown grizzly bear was fatally struck by a vehicle in Snake River Canyon, just south of Jackson, Wyoming, in the dark of night on Tuesday around 10:30 p.m. She was identified via ear tags and a microchip.

    Capt. Brian Andrews of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said a man driving a Subaru struck a Grizzly 399 on his way home from work. The driver called the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, who responded to the scene. Andrews said the driver will not face any charges and will be treated like any other traffic accident involving wildlife such as deer or elk.

    According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Grizzly 399 was carrying a yearling cub when she was struck. The whereabouts of the cub are unknown and there are no indications that the yearling was also involved in the accident. The cub, known to online Grizzly 399 fans as Spirit, was born in 2023, according to Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins.

    “The grizzly bear is an iconic species that makes the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so special,” Jenkins said in a news release. “Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species. She has inspired countless visitors around the world to conservation and will be missed.”

    Grizzly 399 leaves a legacy

    Grizzly 399 was born around 1996 and was captured by Grand Teton National Park in 2001 for research purposes, Grand Teton National Park bear biologist Justin Schwabedissen said during a conference call the park held Wednesday afternoon.

    Over the past 23 years, Grizzly 399 has had eight litters – a total of 18 known cubs, with the first litter reported in 2004. In 2020, Grizzly 399 had a litter of four cubs. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the typical litter size for a grizzly bear is two cubs.

    “People from all over the world have been following grizzly bear 399 for decades. At age 28, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” Hilary Cooley, grizzly recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, said in a news release.

    When he joined Grand Teton National Park in 2011, Schwabedissen made a special memory with a guest who got to experience grizzly bears for the first time.

    “I remember one evening a woman who had just retired, had worked on a factory floor in the Midwest for over thirty years and always dreamed of seeing a bear in the wild and visiting Grand Teton and Yellowstone (National Park). visit,” he said. “She was in tears that night because she had the opportunity to be here.”

    Grizzly 399 was a documentary star

    In February, Grizzly 399 was featured in her own PBS documentary, “Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons.” The 53-minute documentary follows Grizzly 399 as she raises four new cubs. The documentary is available for streaming on PBS and Amazon Prime Video.

    Nature and nature photographer Thomas Mangelsen is one of the many interviewees in the documentary. At the time of Mangelsen’s interview with PBS, he had been photographing Grizzly 399 for fifteen years.

    “399 changed people’s attitudes toward grizzly bears,” he says in the documentary. “And in doing so, she will likely prevent bears from being taken off the endangered species list and killed.”

    Tyler Brasington, part of Grand Teton National Park’s bear management team, shared his love for Grizzly 399 on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

    “The story of Grizzly 399 became woven into the fabric of the park,” Brasington wrote. “As one of the first visible and breeding female grizzly bears in the Southern Grizzly Bear Recovery Area, she raised her cubs near roadways, drawing crowds and awe from onlookers. I will never forget the many hours I spent spent managing ‘bear jams’ where hundreds gather, their faces lighting up with excitement and wonder at the sight of her and her cubs.”

    ‘We still have more work to do’

    According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, there have been 49 grizzly bear deaths due to vehicle collisions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem between 2009 and 2023. This year alone, there have been two grizzly bear deaths, including Grizzly 399, due to vehicle attacks in the ecosystem.

    “We have more work to do in this province, in this community, to ensure that we can successfully coexist with the local bear population, whether that’s grizzly bears or black bears,” Schwabedissen said.

    Bears that roam Grand Teton National Park are not limited to park property. Schwabedissen said these bears are “transboundary species,” crossing several parks in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and on private lands.

    When it comes to how residents can help, Schwabedissen mentioned bear-proof trash cans and electric fencing to protect backyard livestock such as chickens.

    Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

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