The iconic 399, the grizzly bear sow who has likely been photographed more than any bear on the planet, was killed last week in an accident with a vehicle. News of her death immediately spread around the globe, due to her fame. She has long been an unofficial ambassador of Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding area, where she lived for an amazing 28 years. She is thought to be the longest-living grizzly bear in the wild in the lower 48 states.
And even more incredibly, she mothered 28 cubs in those years. Unless they lose their cubs in the first year, grizzly sows only give birth every other year. But 399 had twins, triplets, and even a litter of quadruplets. This year, she only had one cub, which was a yearling at the time of her death. Unfortunately, that yearling cub may not make it to next year without its mother to guide and protect it.
She also spent much of her time in relatively close proximity to humans, but mostly avoided the activities that cause problem bears to be removed from the population. She didn’t raid garbage cans or kill livestock, but she seemed to tolerate the humans who constantly photographed and videoed her.
Unfortunately, this tolerance of human activity may have been a contributing factor in her death. She was killed by a vehicle being driven by a person commuting home from Jackson. The driver was not speeding, and it was after dark. There may have been no way for the driver to avoid the collision.
There has been a lot of uproar on social media, demanding justice for 399 and punishment for the driver. But that’s ridiculous. It was an accident.
Maybe one of 399’s cubs will take her place and be the new mascot of Grand Teton National Park. Only time will tell.
