Griz 399 emerges, may have gone south

JACKSON (WNE) — Nobody knows for sure where a bear thought to be Grizzly 399 has roamed after she and her cub emerged from hibernation Sunday.

Still, after Buckrail.com posted a video of two grizzlies moving through The Aspens on Monday morning, speculation has run wild. Officials and homeowners associations also have encouraged residents to lock up their garbage, beehives, compost and livestock feed — human foods that 399 and other grizzlies have gotten into in years past.

Grizzly 399 has been hazed for getting comfortable with human food, and other, less famous grizzlies, have been relocated or killed for making a habit of dining on human food. Bears that get used to human foods can aggressively pursue them in the future, posing a danger to people they encounter.

After the two grizzlies showed up in suburban Teton County, The Aspens’ HOA wasted no time imploring residents to be “bear aware.”

Hoping to avoid a scrum of humans chasing after grizzlies, officials won’t divulge 399’s location — or whether she’s ventured south. Asked whether 399 had left the park, and whether she had caused any trouble, Game and Fish neither confirmed nor denied her location.

“We are monitoring all bear activity as always,” large carnivore supervisor Dan Thompson said in a text message, adding that no conflicts had been reported in the area of the video. There is, however, lots of bear activity in the valley.

Wildlife watchers and Grand Teton National Park officials also aren’t sure of 399’s whereabouts.

With her one yearling cub, the famous grizzly matriarch emerged Sunday night near Jackson Lake Lodge, then disappeared.

Even the most ardent bear watchers aren’t positive which bears were caught on camera in the video published Monday.

“I’m still not quite convinced it’s her,” said wildlife photographer Tom Mangelsen. “It’s strange that nobody else has seen her down there.”

This story was published on April 25, 2024.