In the wake of the international outpouring of emotions after the death of Grizzly 399, a team of filmmakers and biologists held a memorial livestream panel discussion Wednesday hosted by Nature on PBS to contemplate the legacy of the world’s most famous bear.
The team behind the Nature documentary “Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons” made up the panel, which was led by Fred Kaufman, an executive producer of the Nature series.
Included was wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen, described as “Grizzly 399’s most dedicated photographer.” He followed 399 throughout her long life in teh spotlight and celebrated the bear as a pioneer for her species in the Rockies and worldwide.
“There hadn't been any resident grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park, ones that stayed rather than just walking through, for 40 or 50 years,” he said. “I never saw a grizzly bear until 399 in 2006 with her first three cubs. She grew on me, and over the years, I've learned more and more things about her.”
The other panelists echoed Grizzly 399’s status as a pioneer in reestablishing grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
“There were no grizzly bears in Grand Teton or the Jackson Valley when we started the recovery program,” said former grizzly bear recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chris Servheen. “She was one of the first reproductive females to become resident in the area, and all those cubs she raised and all her residency were in that area.
“She's representative of the reoccupancy of the whole Jackson Valley.”
399 was struck and killed by a car Oct. 20 on Highway 26/89 south of Jackson in Lincoln County. The local sheriff’s office reports the driver wasn’t speeding and did nothing wrong, classifying the incident as an accident.
Being Seen
Like any celebrity, Grizzly 399’s visibility and accessibility were highlighted as one of her endearing traits. She would take her cubs near roadways in Grand Teton National Park where people could see her and them.
“She was a very visible grizzly bear,” said biologist and Jackson resident Trevor Bloom. “For many people, she was probably the first grizzly bear they ever saw, and over the course of her life, she might have influenced hundreds of thousands of people to think differently about grizzly bears, endangered species and wildlife coexistence.”
Bloom’s favorite memory of Grizzly 399 was an encounter where she decided she didn’t want to be seen anymore. Amidst the usual traffic jam caused by her presence, the bear escaped to a sanctuary away from the cameras and spectators.
“She crossed the road right in front of us with Spirit, and then they meandered off when the crowd started forming,” he said, referring to her last cub of the year, who hasn’t been seen since 399 was killed. “A couple moments later that day, I ran into Tom, who saw her on Moose Island.
“She decided she didn’t want to be seen anymore and swam to an island in the middle of Jackson Lake. That was my last good memory with her, so it's my favorite.”
Mangelsen recalled when he was watching Grizzly 399 with a spotting scope when a school group stopped to see her. They eagerly took turns looking through his scope to see the famous grizzly.
“The teacher comes out to me and says, ‘We’re on a summer field trip. We've been to Mount Rushmore, Glacier Park and Yellowstone. Now we're on our way home, and this is the first grizzly bear we’ve seen on our trip,’” Mangelsen said. “She told me these kids would remember this moment for the rest of their lives, and they probably wouldn't ever see another grizzly for the rest of their lives.”
Mounting Public Pressure
A significant portion of the hourlong discussion revolved around what to do with Grizzly 399’s body. The panelists discussed the public discourse over whether the legendary grizzly should be mounted, cremated or buried.
Mangelsen “presumed” that the bear’s body is “in a freezer somewhere” and might have already been skinned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He wasn’t sure of her status but had come to his own conclusion on how best to handle her body.
“She should either be cremated and the ashes spread or buried someplace with some kind of a monument,” he said. “I feel like 399 should go back to the dirt and dust.”
Grizzly 399 outlived many of her cubs, some of which were taxidermized for educational outreach on grizzlies. But Elizabeth Leiter, the documentary’s producer, suggested that 399 had transcended the status of every other grizzly in history.
“I heard her referred to as the Paris Hilton of the parks,” she said. “I wanted to be careful not to anthropomorphize her because I felt like that was a disservice to her. But that's a fine line, because she's one of those really special animals that helps us reflect on our own experiences.
“I think that that's one of her greatest jobs as a teacher. She taught us a lot about her species, and I think she held up a mirror for us, you know, the ways that we want to connect, but the ways we also want to consume nature and control it.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has confirmed it has Grizzly 399’s body but hasn’t issued a statement announcing what its final disposition will be.
Preventable?
There was also discussion about whether Grizzly 399’s death could have been prevented. Her death from a vehicle strike in the Snake River Canyon was determined to be accidental, but the panelists saw it as the most prominent example of a systemic issue.
“We have over 7,500 animal-vehicle deaths in Wyoming every year,” Bloom said. “That's 21 big game animals hit by cars every day, and she was just one of those animals.”
Bloom hoped the tragedy of Grizzly 399’s death might add momentum to make a series of changes in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Nighttime speed limits and wildlife crossings and overpasses were all floated as ways to prevent animal-vehicle incidents, along with residents “changing driving habits” for better safety.
Mangelsen, however, was more directly critical of the circumstances leading to 399’s death. He believes that at least some blame can be placed on various agencies for not being more proactive in the area where she was hit.
“I backtracked the scenario,” he said. “A grizzly sow and child were on a carcass at the side of Highway 89 in the Snake River Canyon. That was on Monday afternoon, and other people reported it. But there were no signs. Nobody was down there. Why wasn’t the carcass moved?”
Ingelson believes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Wyoming Highway Patrol and other agencies were informed of the carcass and grizzly activity near the highway. If any of those agencies had done something, Grizzly 399 might not have died.
“We have the sheriff’s department, highway department, police department, Wyoming Game and Fish and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” he said. “I don't know if they were trying to trap or move them because they were afraid that 399 might get hurt or she might hurt somebody. But last week, where the hell were they? I have that question; maybe they can answer it, but I don't know that she had to be hit.”
One Of A Kind
As the livestream wound down, the panelists reflected on what Grizzly 399 will mean to future generations of people and grizzlies. The consensus was that there would never be another grizzly like her, and they hoped her life and death would have a lasting impact.
“She's the wildest woman I ever met, and I didn't really meet her,” Leiter said. “There's so much richness (to her story), and I'm so grateful to have been a part of telling and sharing it.”
Many panelists referred to Grizzly 399 as a teacher. She commanded the attention of Grand Teton visitors and, in doing so, gave people a new perspective on the lives and challenges of wild grizzlies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
“I hope that the conservation world can learn from her amazing life and perpetuate conservation through more action,” Bloom said. “This isn't how we wanted to see her go, but the reality is she's 28 years old. She’s the oldest known grizzly bear mother in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and there is an amazing future for grizzly bears and all the other wonderful wildlife in this region.”
“She taught us that grizzly bears are not a demon species that some people like to think of them as,” Servheen added. “She was kind and careful around people. She could navigate an amazingly complex environment of people in the park and residences outside the park and got into very little trouble with people, surprisingly, even being around lots of potential attractants.
“She was wise in that way. She was a symbol of wild nature, reoccupying some of the most beautiful country that's left in the United States.”
Contact Andrew Rossi at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
