Nature lovers are mourning the matriarch of the world-famous bear family after she was hit and killed by a vehicle on October 22 on a highway in western Wyoming.
Dozens braved frigid weather in the picturesque ski town of Jackson on Saturday night to attend a candlelight vigil watched by some 1300 others online.
Wildlife guide Bo Weldon told the gathering the community was going to "pingpong through the stages of grief" but that was what they needed to do despite the difficulty.
The bear had at least 18 cubs in eight litters over the years. (AP PHOTO)
"We are ... crushed by this, but we're here together," he said as attendees huddled close in the cold and rain.
A PBS documentary crowned the 28-year-old grizzly "Queen of the Tetons" and an Instagram account dedicated to her has amassed more than 60,000 followers.
She was known for frequenting tourist-heavy spots and roadsides in Grand Teton National Park and became an ambassador for her species and a symbol for people working to conserve American public lands.
Named for the tag affixed by researchers to her ear, No. 399 was the oldest-known reproducing female grizzly in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. She has been credited for helping the region's grizzly population rebound from just over 100 in the 1970s to around 1000 today.
She had 18 known cubs in eight litters over the years, and some have been spotted with cubs of their own.
Jacob Krank, the master of ceremonies, shared how he encountered No. 399 the first time he drove into the park to explore it 13 years ago.
Suddenly he saw "this beautiful grizzly bear" in the road with her two cubs. She was so near he could hear her breathing and paws scratching the ground.
"She looked right at me, just right in the eye. It was just such a profound experience," he said.
No. 399 was the second grizzly killed in the region by a vehicle this year. (AP PHOTO)
Grizzlies have teetered on and off the endangered species list. They remain federally protected, but some state officials in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have sought to remove federal protections as their population has replenished. The states want to regain management of grizzlies and allow limited hunting.
On average, about three grizzlies are killed in vehicle collisions in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem each year, according to data collected by researchers and released by the park. No. 399 was the second grizzly killed in the region by a vehicle this year.
