Grand Teton grizzly bear that delighted visitors for decades is killed by vehicle in Wyoming

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A famous grizzly bear beloved for decades by countless tourists, biologists and professional wildlife photographers in Grand Teton National Park is dead after being struck by a vehicle in western Wyoming.

Grizzly No. 399 died Tuesday night on a highway in Snake River Canyon south of Jackson, park officials said in a statement Wednesday.

At least 28 years old, the bear was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Each spring, wildlife enthusiasts awaited her emergence from her den to see how many cubs she had birthed over the winter.

Named for the identity tag affixed by researchers to her ear, she amazed all by continuing to reproduce into old age. Unlike many grizzly bears, she was often seen near roads in Grand Teton, drawing crowds and traffic jams. Scientists speculate such behavior kept male grizzlies at a distance so they would not be a threat to her cubs. Some believe male grizzlies kill cubs to bring the mother into heat.

A yearling cub was with the bear when she was struck and though not believed to have been hurt, the cub's whereabouts were unknown, according to the statement.

The driver was unharmed. No further details about the crash were immediately released.

"Wildlife vehicle collisions and conflict are unfortunate. We are thankful the driver is okay and understand the community is saddened to hear that grizzly bear 399 has died," Wyoming Game and Fish Department Director Angi Bruce said in the statement.

News of the bear's death spread quickly on a Facebook page that tracks the sow and other wildlife in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. More than 1,000 people quickly posted comments calling her a queen, a legend and an ambassador for grizzly bears. They were heartbroken and devastated by her death, calling it a tragic loss. Many expressed concern for her cub.

Many consider the Yellowstone region's grizzlies a conservation success story. While they remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, their numbers have surged as much as tenfold, to as many as 1,000 animals, since the 1970s.

Population growth has meant more encounters with people and livestock, however, with the bears often on the losing end. Hunters sometimes mistake grizzlies for legal-to-hunt black bears or kill grizzlies in self-defense — and wildlife managers often kill grizzlies that prey on cattle and sheep.