Wyoming park's beloved mama grizzly killed by vehicle

Grizzly No. 399, a 28-year-old female bear known for bearing generations of cubs, was struck dead by a vehicle inside Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming this week.

The bear was hit Tuesday night on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson. Her identity was confirmed through a microchip implanted in her as well as tags on her ears, Grand Teton National Park officials said in a release.

The unnamed driver is OK, Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Angi Bruce said in the release.

Even at 28, No. 399 was still raising a cub, a yearling named Spirit. The whereabouts of the cub are unknown, but it's not believed to have been involved in the vehicle strike.

"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," Hilary Cooley, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator, said.

No. 399 bore 18 cubs since 2004.

"She changed my life," wildlife photographer Thomas Mangelsen told nonprofit news service WyoFile. "I've always been an advocate for black bears and cougars and wolves and everything, but she made it a lot more heartfelt, because I felt that I knew her. … She changed my whole view of bears and made me want to protect them, because I saw what a sentient, emotional animal she was."

Mr. Mangelsen produced many images and footage of No. 399 since 2006, including some featured in the PBS documentary "Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons," which first aired in May.

The vehicle involved in the crash was totaled, FWS spokesman Joe Szuszwalak told WyoFile, and there is no investigation into illegal activity resulting from the wreck.