During her nearly three decades roaming the snowy wilderness of the Teton Range, Grizzly No. 399 became a beloved mama bear with millions of parkgoers following her yearly adventures and her ever-growing family tree.
Nature lovers are mourning the matriarch of the world-famous bear family after she was fatally struck by a vehicle Oct. 22 on a highway in western Wyoming. On Saturday night in the picturesque ski town of Jackson, dozens are expected to brave frigid weather to attend a candlelight vigil, and hundreds more will watch online.
Wildlife photographers, biologists and community members will come together to share fond memories of the 28-year-old grizzly known for frequenting tourist-heavy spots and roadsides in Grand Teton National Park.
A PBS documentary crowned her “Queen of the Tetons” and an Instagram account dedicated to her has amassed more than 60,000 followers.
“She was a living legend, and she became this ambassador for her species and a kind of rallying symbol for people working to conserve American public lands,” said Jack Bayles, a wildlife tour guide who is organizing the ceremony in Jackson’s town square.
Named for the tag affixed by researchers to her ear, No. 399 was the oldest-known reproducing female grizzly in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. She has been credited for helping the region’s grizzly population rebound from just over 100 in the 1970s to around 1,000 today.
She had 18 known cubs in eight litters over the years, and some have been spotted with cubs of their own.
Her ashes were spread this week in the Pilgrim Creek area of Grand Teton National Park, where she spent much of her life, park officials said.
“399 will always be part of this special place,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in a statement. “However, there is still work to do to ensure her descendants and all grizzly bears continue to thrive in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. It’s up to all of us to make sure they do.”
Grizzlies have teetered on and off the endangered species list. They remain federally protected, but some state officials in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have sought to remove federal protections as their population has replenished. The states want to regain management of grizzlies and allow limited hunting.
Conservationists argue the species still requires protection as food scarcity caused by climate change has driven grizzlies further from their habitats in search of food.
On his tours of the Tetons, Bayles said he often draws attention to barren huckleberry bushes affected by rising temperatures, which he said might help explain why No. 399 was about 40 miles (64 kilometers) south of her habitat in the park when she was fatally struck. Grizzlies need to eat nearly nonstop in the fall to store enough fat to sustain their winter hibernation.
At the vigil Saturday, the tour guide said he plans to sing a few songs that he and his wife, Gina, used to play while they were out looking for her and her cubs.
A male yearling cub, known informally as “Rowdy” or “Spirit,” was with No. 399 when she was killed and has not been located in the nearly two weeks since.
“There is no indication it was struck in the collision,” Joe Szuszwalak of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service said. “Given the bear’s age and the time of year, the yearling has a strong chance of surviving independently, and there are no current plans to capture it.”
On average, about three grizzlies are killed in vehicle collisions in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem each year, according to data collected by researchers and released by the park. No. 399 was the second grizzly killed in the region by a vehicle this year.
Law enforcement officers have declared the bear’s death an accident. The driver was not speeding and was not hurt.
