A famous grizzly bear - one could almost write “the only famous grizzly bear” - has died. That storied ursine lady called “399” was hit and killed by an automobile a couple of nights ago in western Wyoming. She was 28, old for a bear having cubs. She became famous for having four cubs in one birth, and raising them all to maturity in or near Grand Teton National Park.
She was known for grazing areas near but not right on roads. In this way the tourists who stop to stare and take photos tended to scare off the big male bears which are willing to kill her cubs. And it helped her to be famous as well.
It is easy to blame the driver but we live in bear country and if you do night driving you know critters can wander out in front of a car doing a lawful speed, and be unavoidable. Recently we just missed hitting an elk nearly the size of a horse who loomed out of the night. They are dark colored, don’t have reflectors on them and haven’t evolved a natural fear of autos.
