Vern Evans
Grand Teton National Park’s iconic mother grizzly bear No. 399 was struck and killed by a motor vehicle on Highway 26/89 south of Jackson Hole on Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She had a yearling cub with her at the time of the collision. Although there is no evidence that the cub, nicknamed Spirit, was injured in the accident, its current location is unknown. USFWS is monitoring the area in hopes of locating the cub.
The circumstances of the accident are unclear. Although the USFWS said the “driver is okay,” officials could not provide further details. Her ear tags and microchip positively identified the bear.
Grizzly 399 was a wildlife superstar with her own regular swarm of paparazzi. The sow was a draw for tourists visiting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and was regularly followed by dozens of wildlife photographers. She even had official Facebook and Instagram accounts with more than 135,000 followers.
In 2021 she made headlines when she killed an elk calf on camera.
“People from around the world have followed grizzly bear 399 for several decades. At 28 years old, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” USFWS Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator Hilary Cooley said in a press release.
Bear 399 earned celebrity status through decades of regular appearances in the Grand Teton National Park and neighboring Bridger-Teton National Forest, usually with one or more cubs in tow. The 400-pound female bear birthed 18 cubs since 2004, eight surviving to adulthood. At least 24 bears in the GYE are descended from 399.
In May 2023, 399 became the oldest grizzly bear mother on record in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem when she waltzed out of Grand Teton National Park’s Pilgrim Creek Drainage with a new cub. And 27 years old is practically ancient for a grizzly. Most die in the wild before they reach the age of 25.
While most grizzlies shun civilization in favor of wild backcountry landscapes, 399 raised many of her cubs near the roads of Grand Teton National Park. This not only made her more visible but also gave her a mothering edge. Raising her cubs along roadsides may have kept them safe from male grizzlies, which are known to kill offspring in order to bring sows into heat so they can breed again.
Her maternal skills were so notable that she was the subject of a 2023 book by conservation writer Todd Wilkinson and nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen titled Grizzly 399: The World’s Most Famous Mother Bear. She also had her own episode of PBS’s Nature — Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons, which originally aired in May 2024.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. 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,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said.
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Grizzly 399 is the second grizzly bear killed by a motor vehicle in the GYE this year. There have been 51 grizzly mortalities due to vehicle collisions in the area since 2009. The GYE’s grizzly population has been on a steady incline since 1975, growing from 136 bears to an estimated 965 bears in 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s population recovery target for the area is 500 bears.
In September, Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks released its Final Environmental Impact Statement, which outlines the agency’s plans to manage grizzly bears in the state if the animals are delisted. The USFWS will release its decision on whether to delist grizzly bears in the lower 48 from Endangered Species Act protections in January 2025.
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