During her nearly three decades roaming the snowy wilderness of the Teton Range, Grizzly No. 399 became a beloved mama bear with millions of parkgoers following her yearly adventures and her ever-growing family tree.
Nature lovers are mourning the matriarch of the world-famous bear family after she was fatally struck by a vehicle Oct. 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 1,300 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.
“We are terrible and crushed by this, but we’re here together,” Weldon said as attendees huddled close in the wet, cold rain.
A PBS documentary crowned the 28-year-old grizzly “Queen of the Tetons” and an Instagram account dedicated …