A tragedy occurred in Yellowstone on Wednesday when a man and his wife encountered a female grizzly bear and her cubs. The man was fatally mauled by the mother bear.
According to a press release by the National Park Service, The incident occurred on the Wapiti Lake trail, which is located east of the Grand Loop Road south of Canyon Village. The man and his wife were hiking about a mile and a half down the trail when they surprised the sow and her cubs. In an attempt to defend a perceived threat to her cubs, the bear attacked and fatally wounded the man. Another group of hikers heard the man’s wife crying for help and called 911 on their cell phone.
Dan Wenk, Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park is quoted in the release as saying, “It is extremely unfortunate that this couple’s trip into the Yellowstone backcountry has ended in tragedy. Our heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim as they work to cope with their loss.” The name and home town of the victim are being withheld pending notification of family members.
The bears involved in Wednesday's encounter remained at large for the time being. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances of the attack. Park spokeswoman, Linda Miller said that initial information indicated the mother bear behaved normally in defending her cubs and would not be killed as a result of her actions.
The last fatal attack by a bear in Yellowstone occurred in 1986. Bear attacks are extremely rare, but all hikers and campers should always be alert for bears when in back country areas. Make noise when you are hiking and always carry pepper spray. The bears will hear you and move away long before you know they are there. If you surprise them, you risk being attacked. Bear attacks occur because the bears are merely protecting themselves, their young or their food source.
Comments