A cub of famed Wyoming grizzly No. 399 hasn't been seen since his mother died, but the odds are good

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – The death of the world's most famous grizzly bear on a highway in western Wyoming has left his cub orphaned, but biologists say the cub's chances of survival – even as a chilly mountain winter approaches – are unlikely. – are good.

“High chance of survival for the yearling, even when alone,” said bear biologist Justin Schwabedissen of Grand Teton National Park.

It should be a reassurance to the many who are worried.

After grizzly bear No. 399 died in a vehicle accident south of Jackson Hole on Tuesday, the fate of his male cub was a major topic of discussion on a popular Facebook page dedicated to tracking the bear and his previous cubs. The cub was apparently uninjured in the crash and has not been seen since.

Some online commenters say the cub – colloquially known as “Rowdy” or “Spirit” – should be found and rescued.

Others agree with the usual approach of wildlife managers: Don't interfere with nature. No cub search has been announced yet.

If the cub had been born last winter, survival would be much less likely.

But this cub's age of almost two years, its healthy size and the time of year – it's almost time to bundle up, safe and cozy for the winter – are factors that work in its favor, according to Schwabedissen.

In addition to highways, threats to grizzly bears in the region include the risk of being shot when the smell of deer carcasses draws them into unintentional confrontations with elk hunters. Others are killed when they overindulge in apples, dog food, garbage, and other human food sources near homes and become a danger to humans.

This 28-year-old mother bear was the oldest known reproducing female grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Beginning in 2004, she gave birth to 18 cubs in eight litters and had a penchant for hanging out with them near roads in Grand Teton.

This behavior made them popular with tourists, sometimes attracting hundreds at a time and causing traffic jams. Dozens of wildlife photographers and scientists – she was named after a numbered tag they stuck in her ear – were also watching her.

She's not the only famous animal in the region. Last summer, a confirmed sighting of a rare white buffalo calf in Yellowstone National Park sparked widespread excitement.

Only a handful of people saw the bison calf shortly after its birth and there have been no sightings since. But according to Native American legend, the calf fulfills an ancient prophecy and predicts better times ahead.

In 2009, a 725-pound (330-kilogram) Yellowstone bull elk known by his ear tag number attracted attention when he died at the ripe old age of at least 15. Famous for becoming aggressive towards other males – and cars – Moose No. 6 suffocated after tripping over a fence and becoming trapped on his back between rocks.

Only dead animals are known to exist in the Yellowstone area, such as a wolf that a man hit on a snowmobile and took to a bar in western Wyoming before killing it last winter.

Grizzly No. 399 and her cub leave a happier legacy: helping people appreciate grizzlies as their numbers in the Yellowstone region continue to rise from just over 100 in the 1970s to about 1,000 today.

Some of their offspring have had boys who are now much older than their youngest, who is now out there alone and left to fend for himself.

“She was truly an icon and ambassador not only of her species, but of the wildness of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem,” said Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins.