Tuesday was a sad day for wildlife enthusiasts and bear lovers everywhere.
Grizzly 399, known as the “Queen of the Grand Tetons,” was struck and killed by a vehicle on a highway near Jackson, Wyoming.
After confirming her identity through ear tags and a microchip, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a statement announcing the news. She had a yearling cub with her at the time, but its whereabouts are still unknown.
Car accidents involving bears occur often in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Around 3.3 grizzlies die in vehicle collisions each year. Grizzly 399 is the second in 2024.
Officials are still gathering information on the circumstances surrounding the collision, the statement said.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary,” Grand Teton National Park 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.”
Grizzly 399′s legacy
Grizzly 399 gained worldwide fame because she interacted with people somewhat regularly. Photographers were able to document her over the years.
People were captivated by the length of her life and the numerous offspring she produced.
According to The Washington Post, the 400-pound grizzly was believed to be 28 years old at the time of her death and had roughly 18 cubs. She often roamed near roads, which researchers believed was a defense mechanism to avoid larger male grizzlies, who occasionally kill cubs.
In May, PBS aired a documentary about Grizzly 399, detailing what made the bear so beloved.
One memorable moment from the documentary shows Grizzly 399, at 24 years old, stepping out of the trees with four cubs in tow. Crowds of people and a line of photographers stood shoulder to shoulder, vying for space, as though Grizzly 399 were a celebrity.
Trevor Bloom, a community ecologist with the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative, noted that seeing a mother bear with four cubs is “very rare.”
“That’s like a human having quadruplets,” he said.
“I said to myself this is an amazing, special day,” Tom Mangelsen, wildlife photographer and conservationist, said of witnessing the mother bear and four cubs. “And it’s incredibly nuts, really. But that’s the effect that she has on people.”
Grizzly 399′s impact on conservation efforts
Grizzly 399′s popularity helped raise awareness about bear conservation.
“She taught people a world of possibility — a world where we can live with bears that we’ve been scared of for so long,” wildlife advocate Louisa Willcox told The Washington Post.
According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, grizzly bears are currently considered a threatened species, and it is illegal to harm or kill them.
Before European settlement, it is estimated there were around 50,000 grizzlies living in the contiguous U.S. They were hunted down to 700 to 800 by 1975, in part because they were seen as very dangerous to humans.
Conservation efforts were put in place to help recover their population, and there are currently 1,923 grizzlies in the contiguous U.S., per the Fish and Wildlife Service.