The story of Grizzly 399 will forever be remembered as one of the greatest wildlife stories ever told. She meant so many different things to so many different people, but above all, she was a representative of her kind that urged us to reconsider our relationship to the natural world and to question ideas of human exceptionalism. She taught us how to coexist. She taught us how to love. And she taught us how to endure. Though 399 is gone, the legacy and impact that she left behind will never be forgotten. Few individuals of the human or animal kind have done more to shape conservation and humanity’s relationship with the wild world. In the words of Thomas D. Mangelsen, she was, “one damn special bear.”

Want to know the story behind this iconic encounter? Read the heartfelt story of “One Special Bear” and discover the quiet connection between Tom Mangelsen and Queen of the Tetons—Grizzly 399.