JACKSON, Wyo. — Community members and wildlife photographer Thomas Mangelsen shared their heartfelt memories of Grizzly 399 during a candlelight vigil held in her honor on Town Square on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Mangelsen surprised the crowd with his attendance, as people huddled closely together to listen to guest speakers share their anecdotes and stories about the bear known as queen of Tetons. The periodic rain showers and colder temperatures did not deter the large crowd.
Wildlife photographer Jacob Krank moderated the ceremony and began the public readings by sharing his experience first meeting 399 in Grand Teton National Park approximately 13 years ago.
“I was driving home through the park and there was this beautiful grizzly bear out on the road with two cubs,” Krank said. “At one point she was right outside our vehicle and she walked right up to us with her cubs. I could hear her claws scratching the gravel and hear her breathing. She looked right at me, right in the eye. This was such a profound experience, as if she was saying, ‘welcome home.’ I knew that this was all I was going to do now; I was going to be chasing this bear.”
Krank introduced Mangelsen as a major reason why people around the world love 399. When Mangelsen addressed the crowd, he said that no wild animal has ever been so loved or has gained so much notoriety, attention, caring and concern.
“Her story has circled the globe,” Mangelsen read. “She became a symbol of hope, resilience and much needed co-existence between humanity and the natural world. For many, she has been a guide, teacher and inspiration.”
Wildlife photographer Tiffany Talbott said 399 was an explorer bear.
“She traveled up and down, north, south, east and west,” Talbot said. “She was the Amelia Earhart of our bears.”
Bo Welden, a wildlife guide in Jackson, compared seeing Grizzly 399 to falling in love for the first time.
“Every time you got to see her, it was like you forgot to breathe,” Welden said. “You cried, you went home and you were like, ‘That happened. I was there, and I saw her, and she saw me, and we had this whole moment. That’s it. I’m in love. I don’t care, hook, line and sinker.’ And that giddiness continued all these years for all these people.”
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail 
Photo: Leigh Reagan Smith // Buckrail
After the readings, people lit candles and participated in 399 seconds of silence to honor the iconic bear. Local performer Lynnette Turner-Parry ended the vigil with an cappella performance of “What a Wonderful World.”
Mangelsen said that people can honor 399 by “speaking out loudly against taking grizzlies off the protection of the Endangered Species List.” According to the Endangered Species Coalition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will “revise or remove” Endangered Species Act protections for grizzlies by 2026.
Welden added that the public can learn more about reducing human-bear conflicts in the valley by visiting JHBearSolutions.org.
