EBS STAFF
Following a cremation, the ashes of grizzly bear 399 were returned to Grand Teton National Park’s Pilgrim Creek area. According to a Nov. 1 press release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the world famous grizzly spent most of her life around Pilgrim Creek before a vehicle collision led to her death on Oct. 22.
“[Grizzly] 399 will always be part of this special place,” stated Chip Jenkins, superintendent of Grand Teton National Park, in the release. “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.”
After the vehicle accident resulted in 399’s death, the USFWS and National Park Service received public interest in how to honor the bear’s legacy. “Taking into account the range of thoughts shared by the public, as well as operational and safety considerations, wildlife managers cremated her remains and returned them to her natural habitat,” the release stated.
At 28 years old, grizzly 399 was in the 0.6% of bears documented at that age and older. She was the oldest documented grizzly bear to reproduce.
Between 2009 and 2023, 49 grizzlies have been killed in vehicle collisions in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem with an average of 3.3 deaths per year.
