Yellowstone News and Information

  News Release Grizzly Bear 399 Fatally Struck by Vehicle in Snake River Canyon News Release Date:  October 23, 2024 JACKSON —  On the evening of Tuesday, October 22, 2024, grizzly bear 399 was fatally struck by a vehicle on Highway 26/89 in Snake River Canyon, south of Jackson, WY. The bear's identity was confirmed through ear tags and a microchip.  Grizzly bear 399 had a yearling cub with her, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest the yearling was also involved in the incident, but the US Fish and Wildlife Service is monitoring the area.  Unfortunately, vehicle collisions with wildlife, including grizzly bears, are not uncommon across their range. The Service is working with state and local agencies to gather more information.  “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 Ecos...

  Grizzly bear 399’s offspring are now independent NPS Photo/A. Falgoust JACKSON, WY— Grizzly bear 399 has successfully weaned her four offspring, which is normal for female grizzly bears with two-year-old cubs. These young bears will eventually disperse to establish individual home ranges. Residents of Teton County should expect that these bears, and other recently weaned individual bears, could travel through their neighborhoods in pursuit of available habitat. Young bears have a higher potential to become emboldened in seeking out foods in and around human development, especially if they have learned to acquire food there in the past. When this food-conditioned behavior occurs, management options for bear and human safety become limited. As interagency and community partners, BearWise Jackson Hole, Teton County, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will continue our collective efforts to proactively prevent conflicts between bears and people in Teton County. However, the poten...

  Playing Russian Roulette with Grizzly Matron 399 and the Bears of Yellowstone