I spent 17 years photographing the same grizzly bear family. Here's What I Learned (And the Number One Misconception About Them)
Mother bear Grizzly 399 and her cubs are considered the most famous grizzly bear family in the world. Photographer Thomas D Mangelsen has shared his most striking portraits of the family in a stunning new book. READ MORE: Stunning winners of the 2023 Panoramic Photo Awards revealed...
AdvertisementIt was the Wyoming grizzly bear family that touched the hearts of millions and changed the world public perception of one of the world's most powerful predators.
The mother bear 'Grizzly 399' - named so because she is the 399th bear recorded in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - and its cubs have a huge fan base, with thousands flocking to catch a glimpse of them, often creating "bear traffic jams" along the roads.
MailOnline Travel spoke to Thomas D Mangelsen, the award-winning photographer who helped tell the family's incredible story through his photographs. The 77-year-old photographer and conservationist, who lives in the Wyoming town of Moose, has followed the family for 17 years, sharing some of his most striking grizzly bear portraits in his new photo book Grizzly 399: The Mother world's most famous bear (published by Rizzoli).
Mangelsen says that what is unique about 399 is that it "tolerates people ". He says: “There are sometimes bear jams with 1,000 people, if you can imagine that. If there are too many people on the road, too much noise and people are very excited... she will back up and ju...
It was the Wyoming grizzly bear family that touched the hearts of millions and changed the world public perception of one of the world's most powerful predators.
The mother bear 'Grizzly 399' - named so because she is the 399th bear recorded in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - and its cubs have a huge fan base, with thousands flocking to catch a glimpse of them, often creating "bear traffic jams" along the roads.
MailOnline Travel spoke to Thomas D Mangelsen, the award-winning photographer who helped tell the family's incredible story through his photographs. The 77-year-old photographer and conservationist, who lives in the Wyoming town of Moose, has followed the family for 17 years, sharing some of his most striking grizzly bear portraits in his new photo book Grizzly 399: The Mother world's most famous bear (published by Rizzoli).
Mangelsen says that what is unique about 399 is that it "tolerates people ". He says: “There are sometimes bear jams with 1,000 people, if you can imagine that. If there are too many people on the road, too much noise and people are very excited... she will back up and ju...
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