Grand Teton Nationwide Park’s iconic mom grizzly bear No. 399 was struck and killed by a motorized vehicle on Freeway 26/89 south of Jackson Gap on Tuesday night, in line with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. She had a yearling cub along with her on the time of the collision. Though there isn’t any proof that the cub, nicknamed Spirit, was injured within the accident, its present location is unknown. USFWS is monitoring the world in hopes of finding the cub.
The circumstances of the accident are unclear. Though the USFWS stated the “driver is okay,” officers couldn’t present additional particulars. Her ear tags and microchip positively recognized the bear.
Grizzly 399 was a wildlife famous person along with her personal common swarm of paparazzi. The sow was a draw for vacationers visiting the Larger Yellowstone Ecosystem and was recurrently adopted by dozens of wildlife photographers. She even had official Facebook and Instagram accounts with greater than 135,000 followers.
In 2021 she made headlines when she killed an elk calf on camera.
“Folks from around the globe have adopted grizzly bear 399 for a number of a long time. At 28 years outdated, she was the oldest recognized reproducing feminine grizzly bear within the Larger Yellowstone Ecosystem,” USFWS Grizzly Bear Restoration Coordinator Hilary Cooley stated in a press launch.
Bear 399 earned movie star standing by way of a long time of standard appearances within the Grand Teton Nationwide Park and neighboring Bridger-Teton Nationwide Forest, often with a number of cubs in tow. The 400-pound feminine bear birthed 18 cubs since 2004, eight surviving to maturity. No less than 24 bears within the GYE are descended from 399.
In Could 2023, 399 grew to become the oldest grizzly bear mom on file within the Larger Yellowstone ecosystem when she waltzed out of Grand Teton Nationwide Park’s Pilgrim Creek Drainage with a brand new cub. And 27 years outdated is virtually historical for a grizzly. Most die within the wild earlier than they attain the age of 25.
Whereas most grizzlies shun civilization in favor of untamed backcountry landscapes, 399 raised lots of her cubs close to the roads of Grand Teton Nationwide Park. This not solely made her extra seen but in addition gave her a mothering edge. Elevating her cubs alongside roadsides might have saved them protected from male grizzlies, that are recognized to kill offspring with a view to carry sows into warmth to allow them to breed once more.
Her maternal expertise had been so notable that she was the topic of a 2023 ebook by conservation author Todd Wilkinson and nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen titled Grizzly 399: The World’s Most Famous Mother Bear. She additionally had her personal episode of PBS’s Nature — Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons, which initially aired in Could 2024.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Larger Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. Grizzly bear 399 has been maybe probably the most outstanding ambassador for the species. She has impressed numerous guests into conservation stewardship around the globe and can be missed,” Grand Teton Nationwide Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins stated.
Learn Subsequent: Famous Bear, Grizzly 399, Kills Elk Calf on Camera
Grizzly 399 is the second grizzly bear killed by a motorized vehicle within the GYE this yr. There have been 51 grizzly mortalities attributable to automobile collisions within the space since 2009. The GYE’s grizzly population has been on a gradual incline since 1975, rising from 136 bears to an estimated 965 bears in 2022. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s inhabitants restoration goal for the world is 500 bears.
In September, Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks launched its Final Environmental Impact Statement, which outlines the company’s plans to manage grizzly bears within the state if the animals are delisted. The USFWS will launch its determination on whether or not to delist grizzly bears within the decrease 48 from Endangered Species Act protections in January 2025.
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