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 a proof that the cub, nicknamed Spirit, was injured within the accident, its present location is unknown. USFWS is monitoring the realm in hopes of finding the cub.
The circumstances of the accident are unclear. Though the USFWS mentioned the “driver is okay,” officers couldn’t present additional particulars. Her ear tags and microchip positively recognized the bear.
Grizzly 399 was a wildlife celebrity along with her personal common swarm of paparazzi. The sow was a draw for vacationers visiting the Higher Yellowstone Ecosystem and was recurrently adopted by dozens of wildlife photographers. She even had official Fb and Instagram accounts with greater than 135,000 followers.
In 2021 she made headlines when she killed an elk calf on digicam.
“Folks from around the globe have adopted grizzly bear 399 for a number of a long time. At 28 years previous, she was the oldest recognized reproducing feminine grizzly bear within the Higher Yellowstone Ecosystem,” USFWS Grizzly Bear Restoration Coordinator Hilary Cooley mentioned in a press launch.
Bear 399 earned celeb standing via a long time of normal appearances within the Grand Teton Nationwide Park and neighboring Bridger-Teton Nationwide Forest, normally with a number of cubs in tow. The 400-pound feminine bear birthed 18 cubs since 2004, eight surviving to maturity. Not less than 24 bears within the GYE are descended from 399.
In Could 2023, 399 turned the oldest grizzly bear mom on document within the Higher Yellowstone ecosystem when she waltzed out of Grand Teton Nationwide Park’s Pilgrim Creek Drainage with a brand new cub. And 27 years previous is virtually historic 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 additionally gave her a mothering edge. Elevating her cubs alongside roadsides might have stored them protected from male grizzlies, that are recognized to kill offspring as a way to deliver sows into warmth to allow them to breed once more.
Her maternal abilities have been so notable that she was the topic of a 2023 e book by conservation author Todd Wilkinson and nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen titled Grizzly 399: The World’s Most Well-known Mom 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 Higher Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. Grizzly bear 399 has been maybe probably the most distinguished ambassador for the species. She has impressed numerous guests into conservation stewardship around the globe and might be missed,” Grand Teton Nationwide Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins mentioned.
Learn Subsequent: Well-known Bear, Grizzly 399, Kills Elk Calf on Digital camera
Grizzly 399 is the second grizzly bear killed by a motorized vehicle within the GYE this yr. There have been 51 grizzly mortalities as a result of car collisions within the space since 2009. The GYE’s grizzly inhabitants has been on a gentle 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 realm is 500 bears.
In September, Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks launched its Ultimate Environmental Influence Assertion, which outlines the company’s plans to handle 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.