A record 59 grizzly bears died in the Yellowstone ecosystem in 2015, most of them after conflicts with hunters and livestock growers. And yet, one bear, a female called 399, has shown a remarkable ability to survive interactions with humans without getting herself into trouble. If 399 emerges from her den next spring, she’ll be 20 years old.
According to journalist Todd Wilkinson “399, because she’s been so accessible, has become the most famous and widely-recognized bear on earth.”
Wilkinson is the author of Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399. The book is coffee-table-sized and includes dozens of gorgeous images captured by Wyoming naturalist-photographer Thomas Mangleson. Wilkinson, says Mangleson had to work hard for those images.
“The only way that you can amass a portfolio like this,” says Wilkinson, “is spending months of every year rising before sun rise, staying out until past dusk, trailing these bears, but not getting too close, because he’s an ethical wildlife photographer. But he also had this network of people wired. So whenever sightings would occur of either 399 or her daughter, 610, Mangelson would know where to go and then provide a stake-out in order to see the bears.”
Three-ninety-nine’s intelligence is legendary. Not only has she managed to stay alive for nearly two decades, but she has taught her cubs what she knows about avoiding trouble with humans.
Wilkinson says her ability to survive has helped the regional economy. “Bears today are worth more alive than dead. And we know that from economic statistics. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem today, nature tourism, which has the two marque attractions of grizzly bears and wolves, is worth more than a billion dollars annually. That is a renewable, sustainable economy. And it’s based on the fact that people are coming from around the world just to see these animals.”
Many people who benefit economically from tourism, as well as animal rights advocates, are concerned about what will happen once grizzlies are removed from the protected species list, which is likely to happen in early 2016. Wilkinson explains:
“One of the reasons people are concerned is that in Wyoming, when wolves were recovered, the state of Wyoming implemented a law that allows wolves to be killed over 85% of the state by any means at any hour of the day for any reason. And so, critics are raising this question of will Wyoming follow a similar pattern that was established with wolves. And I should note that it’s the only time in the history of the federal endangered species act, where you’ve expended a lot of public resources to recover an animal and then immediately inside a state, 85%, a state has basically revalidated eradication.”
Another concern is the reduction of key food sources for the bears: the rapid die-off of Whitebark Pine trees — because of climate change and mountain pine beetles — and the decrease in the numbers of Cutthroat Trout after the introduction of Lake Trout. So grizzlies, like bison, might begin to wander in search of food.
“There is a very vigorous scientific debate being waged,” Wilkinson says, “in part in the public eye, but mostly behind the scenes—that talks about these key grizzly bear foods and whether the grizzly bear population is going to continue on the trajectory that it’s on. There are more bears on the landscape today, when there were as few as 130 bears in Greater Yellowstone [the number of grizzlies before they were protected by the Endangered Species Act], now there’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 700, or more. But the question is, is that with the loss of female bears and with the loss of key foods, whether this can be maintained. And then if you add trophy hunting on top of that, what the ramifications will be as we move years down the road.”
And yet Wilkinson has hope for establishing a healthy relationship between bears and people.
“These species that we deliberately eradicated, if given a chance, can come back. And if we keep our cool by protecting habitat, by people carrying bear spray during their hikes and while they’re hunting, and better understand them, co-existence is actually possible.”
The future of human-grizzly co-existence depends greatly on keeping female grizzlies like 399, and her daughter 610, alive so they can teach their cubs what they know about avoiding trouble in human-dominated landscapes.
Grizzlies of Pilgrim Creek: An Intimate Portrait of 399, written by Todd Wilkinson with photographs by Thomas Mangelson.
Thomas D. Mangelsen is among the most distinguished natural history photographers in the world, and his honors include being named Conservation Photographer of the Year by Nature’s Best Photography. His work has been published widely, including in National Geographic and American Photo, as well as exhibited in museums and galleries.
Todd Wilkinson has been a professional journalist and author for 30 years with assignments that have taken him around the world. While he has written widely about a variety of subjects (fine art, business, politics, and his vast home region, the American West), he is best known for his knowledge and coverage of environmental issues. His stories have appeared in publications ranging from National Geographic and The Christian Science Monitor to High Country News, the Utne Reader, Orion, all of the top nature magazines and many others. He also has given public lectures and public presentations at venues ranging from the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco to Yale University and museums, college campuses and conferences in-between.
