Grizzly 399, a famed grizzly bear beloved for decades by countless professional wildlife photographers, has been killed in a car accident.
Known only by her research number, 399 has been a fixture in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming since 2007 — becoming the world’s most famous and photographed grizzly bear in the world.
However, park officials have announced that 399 has died after a vehicle struck her on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson, Wyoming on Tuesday evening.
399 was believed to be 28 years old and one of the oldest known grizzly bears still reproducing.
The bear’s identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip.
Park officials say 399 had a yearling cub with her. While the cub is not believed to have been hurt, its whereabouts is unknown.
Grand Teton and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials say it is monitoring the area.
“Wildlife vehicle collisions and conflict are unfortunate. We are thankful the driver is okay and understand the community is saddened to hear that grizzly bear 399 has died,” Angi Bruce, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director, says in a statement.
A Grizzly That Was The ‘Grand Salesman for Canon Lenses’
Among the estimated 730 grizzlies that live in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, 399 has become a veritable celebrity among wildlife photographers.
Grizzly 399 was born in Grand Teton National Park in 1996. According to The Washington Post, by the mid-2000s, multiple photographers had made careers following 399.
Chris Servheen, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s former grizzly bear recovery coordinator, even joked that 399 was a “grand salesman for Canon lenses.”
Each spring, wildlife photographers eagerly awaited the 400-pound grizzly bear’s emergence from her den to see how many cubs she had birthed over the winter.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary. Grizzly bear 399 has been perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins says.
“She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed.”
Earlier this year, acclaimed wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen lost an extraordinary $20,000 legal battle over a traffic ticket that came about after he slowed his car to check on a wounded 399.
Image credits: Header photo via NPS.