However the world remembers Wyoming’s beloved Grizzly 399, some of her most devoted fans said a full-body taxidermy mount of her in a museum isn’t the way to do it.
“She dealt with crowds during her life. As the years went by, she became less and less visible, probably because of the crowds. We don’t want her to continue to be a spectacle,” wildlife photographer and Jackson local Sue Cedarholm told Cowboy State Daily.
And in her opinion, and that of others, mounting 399’s skin on a taxidermy body mold and putting it on display would do just that — make the legendary bear mere spectacle.
Cedarholm worked for many years with renowned wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, who likely took more photographs of Grizzly 399 than anyone.
He voiced his opposition to a 399 taxidermy mount in an essay he co-authored for the Yellowstonian publication. Mangelsen could not be reached Wednesday.
“Bears and wolves are not brainless automatons,” he wrote. “They possess emotions and intelligence, feel loss, suffer pain, and have individual personalities that, as 399 showed, resonate with humans. Individual bears and their stories matter. As a photographer these last 17 years, I [Mangelsen] witnessed it constantly and I encountered countless people who told me that seeing 399 and cubs was a highlight of their lives.”
“None of that magic translates if 399 becomes a stuffed bear fitted with fake glass eyes,” Mangelsen added.
Pondering Taxidermy As An Option
What might become of Grizzly 399’s remains has been a topic of debate since she was struck and killed by a vehicle south of Jackson on Oct. 22.
Cremation has come up as an option.
It was also suggested that a taxidermy mount be made and displayed in a museum, perhaps the Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.
A taxidermy mount of another famous Wyoming bear, Grizzly 104, is already on display there, along with her last cub.
During her life, Grizzly 104 was highly visible alongside Highway 14/16/20 near the Pahaska Tepee Resort, just outside the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
On May 14, 2001, Grizzly 104 was struck and killed on a highway bridge near Pahaska.
The Draper Museum successfully lobbied for a taxidermy mount of Grizzly 104, hoping that it would give the public an appreciation for grizzlies, and also serve as a reminder for drivers to slow down and be cautious around wildlife.
Proponents of a similar taxidermy mount of Grizzly 399 argue that such a display would serve the same purposes.
Just Say No To Taxidermy
But many of 399 fans don’t agree.
Wildlife photographer Chris Brunell and others said the best way to honor 399 as the world’s most famous bear would be to cremate her remains and scatter the ashes in the place she called home.
“I personally feel Grizzly 399 deserves so much more respect than being a specimen to be mounted and displayed in a natural history museum. Her legacy requires the USFWS (Fish and Wildlife Service) to make the appropriate final decision, and making her a mounted trophy is not an acceptable solution,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
“I do understand why people have different views on these final decisions, but with that said, I think it’s simple and her ashes should be spread out over Pilgrim Creek watershed which she called home for 28 years,” Brunell added.
Honor Her In Other Mediums
Cedarholm said that an educational display about Grizzly 399 might be a good idea, but there’s no need to include a taxidermy mount.
“There are endless amounts of photographs,” video clips, paintings, sculptures and other mediums honoring 399, she said.
Some of the best examples of those could be used in a display – along with other materials to teach people about the life of 399, and by extension, grizzlies in general, Cedarholm said.
“They could have maps of all the places where she was, and a chart showing her family tree,” she said.
Opposition to taxidermy for Grizzly 399 is widespread, Cedarholm said.
Her mother, who is in her 90s and lives in Denver, and her peers recently took a vote on the matter.
“All the ladies voted against taxidermy,” Cedarholm said.
Wildlife journalist Todd Wilkinson co-founded Yellowstonian, and co-authored the essay with Mangelsen.
He also told Cowboy State Daily that there are mediums more fitting than taxidermy by which to remember Grizzly 399.
“Being a longtime writer about wildlife and art, I think it would be most appropriate to have an impactful bronze monument of her in Jackson Hole, with inspiring messages of how each one of us can make contributions to protecting not only 399’s descendants and other bears and wildlife, but the habitat they need to survive. Right now, nothing like that exists. If 399 could speak our language and tell us what she wanted in sentiments we might understand, I doubt she’d quarrel with that,” he said.
‘It’s Not About Us’
The legacy of 399 shouldn’t be about what people want, but rather about what’s best for bears, Wilkinson said.
"This really ought not to be a controversy and anyone who sets it up this way is being disingenuous. It’s not about us; it’s about 399, and in death she needs the voice of people advocating on behalf of her own dignity. Fundamentally, what this is about is doing something honorable that preserves the integrity and mystique of who 399 was and does not detract or tarnish it. I have profound respect for talented taxidermists, and I praise the mission of the world-class Draper Museum of Natural History,” he said.
“So, I hope people don't spin this into somehow being anti-taxidermy, anti-Draper or standing in bold opposition to those who instinctively believe that the way to treat famous individual animals is to stuff them as mementos or try to use the physical remains for fundraising purposes. It isn't. This is about being pro-399. The spirit of 399 is now in the ether of wildness we all feel and struggle to translate.
“Set her free into those spaces she called home and treat the land as hallowed ground, with utmost respect,” he added.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
