One of the world’s most famous animals died Tuesday — and not from natural causes.
Grizzly Bear 399 was killed on Tuesday in a car collision south of Jackson, Wyo., the National Park Service said. She was fatally hit by a vehicle on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon and was later identified by her ear tags and microchip. The mama bear had a yearling cub with her at the time, but it’s still missing.
Park officials don’t believe the bear cub was also in the incident, but they’re continuing to monitor the area, just in case.
More details about what happened will likely emerge in the coming days, but the park service said vehicle collisions with bears aren’t uncommon. Perhaps more importantly, they acknowledged that this particular grizzly bear had become one of the most popular animals for visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
A Beloved Bear
“People from around the world have followed grizzly bear 399 for several decades. At 28 years old, she was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” said Hilary Cooley, Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Bear 399 is far from the first bear to die from a vehicle collision in or near Yellowstone National Park. Between 2009 and 2023, parks officials have recorded 49 grizzly bear mortalities caused by moving vehicles.
That’s a little more than three bears every year. So far this year, bear 399 is the second Yellowstone bear to die from a vehicle.
“Wildlife vehicle collisions and conflict are unfortunate,” said Angi Bruce, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director. “We are thankful the driver is okay and understand the community is saddened to hear that grizzly bear 399 has died.”
While Yellowstone’s grizzly bears have long attracted the park’s millions of annual tourists, there’s no doubt that bear 399 was “perhaps the most prominent ambassador for the species,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said.
“The grizzly bear is an iconic species that helps make the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem so extraordinary,” Jenkins said. “She has inspired countless visitors into conservation stewardship around the world and will be missed.”
