In Grizzly 399’s final hours, carcass removal eluded wildlife managers by Thomas Mengelsen

Officials couldn’t find a carcass 399 likely devoured, but did remove another.

Wildlife managers knew that Grizzly 399 was likely devouring an elk carcass in the Snake River Canyon roughly 24 hours before the bear, internationally famous for having raised 18 cubs along the roads in Grand Teton National Park, was hit and killed by a car.

That fact, which has been swirling on social media for the better part of the past week, and the known presence of the carcass on the side of the highway—a known attractant for grizzly bears—has raised questions among wildlife advocates and 399’s devotees, who have asked online and in public forums why grizzly managers didn’t do anything about the carcass or the bears.

“They always move carcasses off the highway,” wildlife photographer and 399 documentarian Tom Mangelsen told the News&Guide. “Even for ravens, crows. It’s just dangerous. Golden eagles or bald eagles, it could be anything, That’s totally typical behavior. They just get rid of it.” READ MORE…