This article has been updated online as of 10/25 to reflect new information.
The famous grizzly bear 399 was struck and killed Tuesday evening, Oct. 22, by a car in the Snake River Canyon south of Jackson on Highway 26.
At age 28, she was the oldest known reproducing female in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Photos of the popular mama bear and her cubs circulated the world.
“It’s just really surreal,” said one local photographer, Sue Cedarholm, who captured pictures of grizzly bear 399 for almost 20 years. “She’s an old bear, and we knew her time was coming to an end, but you just hate to have it be with a car accident.”
She urged people to remember grizzly 399’s legacy. She was the first roadside bear in the Tetons, raising her many cubs in and around Grand Teton National Park.
“She raised so much awareness for bears and grizzly bears,” Cedarholm said. “So I think we have to remember how lucky we were to have her in our lives and what a great bear she was.”
Authorities confirmed her identity by an ear tag and a microchip. According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife, her year-old cub was with her but his location is now unknown. The Teton County Sheriff’s office did not respond to the scene of the crash, Lt. Mark Priest said Wednesday.
It’s the second grizzly death from a vehicle collision this year. On average, about three die in vehicle crashes annually in the GYE.
Highway 26 where 399 was killed is notorious for wildlife collisions. The state recently applied for funding to build wildlife crossings along that stretch.
Sophia Boyd-Fliegel and Melodie Edwards contributed to this story.
