OPINION: Grizzly 399 was a bear for the ages

When the famous Grizzly 399 died in a car collision this October 22 in Wyoming, people all over the world mourned the loss. She had produced 18 cubs, even a set of four, and over her 28-year life around the Grand Tetons and Jackson, Wyoming, tourists thronged to take photos of her family at bear jams. Celebrity never seemed to phase her. Grizzly 399 symbolized what remains that's wild and spectacular, says writers Wendy Keefover and Cindy Combs. They urge the preservation of all grizzlies in the face of disappearing habitat, increased traffic and shootings.