I’m sorry for your loss.
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JACKSON, Wyo. — Legendary grizzly bear 399, long-standing animal mascot of the Tetons, died on Tuesday night, Oct. 22, after being struck by a vehicle in Snake River Canyon, according to an announcement by Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The bear’s identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip, according to the statement. 399 had her yearling cub with her at the time of the accident, the agencies said, noting that the cub’s whereabouts “are currently unknown” and adding that the cub might not have been involved in the accident. The National Park Service is monitoring the area.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary,” GTNP Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in the statement. “Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species. She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed.”
According to a representative with Wyoming Highway Patrol, the agency received reports of two grizzly bears wandering into the road on US89 around 11 p.m. Responding officers theorized that the bears were trapped in the road area between the river drop-off and the steep canyon walls. The bears appeared unable to climb up into the mountains and kept returning to the roadway.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // Buckrail
Believed to have been born in 1996, the beloved grandmother bear emerged this spring with that yearling cub in tow, delighting fans that she had survived another winter. She was a prolific parent, responsible for more than 20 cubs and grandcubs.
“People from around the world have followed grizzly bear 399 for several decades,” Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hilary Cooley said in the statement. “At 28 years old, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
399 has starred in numerous books and documentaries, which often focus on her bumper crop of four cubs (born in 2020), along with her status as ambassador of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
“There has never been a bear in history that has beaten the odds like 399,” photographer Thomas Mangelsen told Buckrail earlier this year.
While she has been a fixture in GTNP since the mid-2000s, drawing hordes of professional and amateur photographers, 399 also made appearances in the Town of Jackson over the years, dropping by for a stroll and a sniff.
Stay tuned for more on Grizzly 399’s legacy.
Grizzly 399 killed in vehicle collision
JACKSON, Wyo. — Legendary grizzly bear 399, long-standing animal mascot of the Tetons, died on Tuesday night, Oct. 22, after being struck by a vehicle in Snake River Canyon, according to an announcement by Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The bear’s...
buckrail.com
The bear’s identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip, according to the statement. 399 had her yearling cub with her at the time of the accident, the agencies said, noting that the cub’s whereabouts “are currently unknown” and adding that the cub might not have been involved in the accident. The National Park Service is monitoring the area.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary,” GTNP Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in the statement. “Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species. She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed.”
According to a representative with Wyoming Highway Patrol, the agency received reports of two grizzly bears wandering into the road on US89 around 11 p.m. Responding officers theorized that the bears were trapped in the road area between the river drop-off and the steep canyon walls. The bears appeared unable to climb up into the mountains and kept returning to the roadway.
Photo: Nick Sulzer // BuckrailBelieved to have been born in 1996, the beloved grandmother bear emerged this spring with that yearling cub in tow, delighting fans that she had survived another winter. She was a prolific parent, responsible for more than 20 cubs and grandcubs.
“People from around the world have followed grizzly bear 399 for several decades,” Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hilary Cooley said in the statement. “At 28 years old, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.”
399 has starred in numerous books and documentaries, which often focus on her bumper crop of four cubs (born in 2020), along with her status as ambassador of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).
“There has never been a bear in history that has beaten the odds like 399,” photographer Thomas Mangelsen told Buckrail earlier this year.
While she has been a fixture in GTNP since the mid-2000s, drawing hordes of professional and amateur photographers, 399 also made appearances in the Town of Jackson over the years, dropping by for a stroll and a sniff.
Stay tuned for more on Grizzly 399’s legacy.
