In Memory of Grizzly 399
Grizzly 399 crosses the road in Grand Teton National Park in 2018.
Grizzly 399 is possibly the most famous Grizzly Bear to have ever lived. The 28 year old bear lived in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and was photographed by thousands of visitors each year. Her popularity began when she started bringing her cubs near the road-side in the north end of the Grand Teton National Park each spring.
She realized early on that the roads would be safer for her young cubs, since deeper in the woods adult male grizzly bears would attempt to kill her cubs in order to send her back into heat, allowing for them to mate with her.
This tactic that kept so many of her cubs alive to adulthood would ultimately be her demise. On Oct 22, 2024 the 28 year old bear and mother of 18 cubs, in her lifetime, was struck and killed by a car south of Grand Teton National Park.
Grizzly 399 in the spring of 2020.
Where It All Started
In 2017 I met Grizzly 399 for the very first time. She was standing in a field of wildflowers watching her two cubs climb up and down a nearby tree. She was about 200 yards away and was wearing a tracking collar around her neck, but even then was still a glorious sight to see.
2018
In 2018 I returned to Grand Teton to speak for a Nature Celebration hosted by the North American Nature Photographers Association. Each morning, I headed out to photograph Grizzly 399 and her yearling cubs.
2020
Grizzly 399 and her quadruplet cubs in 2020.
In 2020 in the height of the global pandemic Grand Teton National Park, like so many other places, were closed down to the public. In June when the park reopened the world was shocked to learn that the then 24 year old grizzly bear had emerged with quadruplets. Having this many cubs at one time is incredibly rare, especially for a bear of her age. I jumped on a plane and headed out to photograph her and cubs. I knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I could not miss. I was rewarded with a week of incredible views of the family.
My most cherished memory of her occurred on the last day of my visit. I was waiting for Grizzly 399 and her cubs to emerge in her "usual spot", but after several hours of her not appearing I decided to go down the road to see what else I could find. That is when I came across her and the cubs. I was all alone when she walked out of the woods to cross the road. She walked with purpose but not aggression. I quickly got back into my car and photographed her from the passenger side window.
This moment when it was just her and me I will never forget. She looked me right in the eye and I looked at her and for that moment we connected.
2021
Grizzly 399 and her yearling cubs stand at the base of Grand Teton mountain range.
In 2021 I returned yet again to Grand Teton in hopes of photographing this bear family. I was delighted to spend another week as I watched 399 walk her cubs from the North end of the park all the way to Jenny Lake and back. We watched as they swam across the Jackson Lake Dam. We watched the cubs play and were delighted to see how happy and healthy this bear family was.
2022
Grizzly 399 chases after a black bear cub.
After emancipating her four cubs in early spring of 2022, as usual for the now solo bear, Grizzly 399 was rarely spotted. I only saw her briefly in the spring when a Black Bear mother of three left her cubs safely in a tree. When one of the cubs climbed down looking for its mom Grizzly 399 emerged from the woods and chased it around. As she approached the road the park rangers hazed her back for the safety of the onlookers. Luckily for the cub it got away and was reunited with its mother and siblings.
Her Legacy
In 2023 to everyone’s surprise, Grizzly 399 emerged once again with another cub. This cub was nicknamed “Spirit.”
2024
June of 2024 was the last time I ever saw Grizzly 399. We watched as she played with her yearling cub. They wrestled together and she watched as Spirit slide down the snowy hillside. Grizzly 399 was a great mom. She instilled life lessons to all her cubs that kept them alive and taught them to learn how to coexist with the millions of people who came to Grand Teton to be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.
Grizzly 399 was possibly the most famous Grizzly Bear to have ever lived. Many believe that it is because she stayed so close to the road which allowed for people to view her easily, but that wasn’t it. Grizzly 399 taught us about coexistence. She taught us about endurance. She taught us how to be better stewards of the land. She was a great mother, an ambassador for her species and she will be forever missed. May her legacy live on in the heart of all who knew her and loved her.