After being hit by a car in western Wyoming, a well-known grizzly bear that had been adored for decades by many visitors, biologists, and professional wildlife photographers in Grand Teton National Park has passed away.
According to a statement released by park officials on Wednesday, Grizzly No. 399 passed away on a highway in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson on Tuesday night. The motorist was not injured.
According to the statement, the grizzly was struck while carrying a yearling cub, which was not thought to have been harmed but whose location was unknown.
It was unknown what caused the crash. Officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Grand Teton stated they had no more details to share.
No. 399 was the oldest known female grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem to reproduce, at the age of 28. Wildlife enthusiasts eagerly anticipated her coming out of her lair each spring to see how many cubs she had given birth to during the winter, and they promptly posted the information online.
The grizzly, named for the identity tag that biologists attached to her ear, astounded onlookers by continuing to procreate into old age. In contrast to many grizzly bears, she frequently appeared close to Grand Teton’s highways, attracting tourists and causing traffic bottlenecks.
According to scientists, this behavior prevented male grizzlies from approaching her pups, preventing them from posing a threat. Male grizzlies are thought to kill cubs in order to make the mother more fertile.
Over the years, the bear gave birth to eight litters of 18 known cubs, including a four-cub litter in 2020. She weighed roughly 400 pounds (180 kilos) and was nearly 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall.
According to bear biologist Justin Schwabedissen of Grand Teton, hundreds of people would occasionally congregate at a broad meadow to observe her in the evenings.
According to Schwabedissen, some children “just thought that was just the coolest thing in the world to see a bear out there, cubs wrestling in the wildflowers.”
Once more, he encountered a recently retired Midwest industrial worker who aspired to see a bear in the wild.
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“She was in tears that night from being able to have an opportunity to see her,” Schwabedissen stated.
On a Facebook page that monitors grizzly and other wildlife in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, word of the bear’s passing traveled swiftly. More than 2,000 individuals had commented by the end of Wednesday, referring to the bear as a “magnificent queen,” a “icon,” and a “incredible ambassador for her species.”
Her passing left them devastated and heartbroken, describing it as a tragic loss.
