Last week’s fatal bear attack at Yellowstone National Park leaves hikers wondering if the use of pepper spray would have saved 57-year-old Brian Matayoshi.
Sources at Yellowstone National Park say that bear pepper spray has been shown to be highly successful in stopping aggressive behavior in bears. Some bear attack experts agree that pepper spray can be used to deter an attacking bear. But others warn that pepper spray is not an “end all.”
“Pepper spray works, but don't bet your life on it,” warns Ned Rozell, a science writer at Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks. He reported that, in a study by Stephen Herrero, three of sixteen sprayed brown bears ended up attacking and injuring the sprayer anyway. 15 brown bears turned away after receiving a direct blast to the eyes and nose.
Herrero, a retired University of Calgary biology professor literally wrote the book on bear attacks. His book, Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance is frequently sited as a must-read for those who hike in bear country.
"This stuff isn't brains in a can," cautioned Herrero about pepper spray at the Tenth International Conference on Bear Research and Management. Your brain is probably your best bear attack survival tool. Being alert to your surroundings is your most important defense for bear encounters. And hikers need to learn How to Use Pepper Spray in the event of a bear attack.
Matayoshi and his wife Marylyn both from Torrance, California were hiking last Wednesday morning on the Wapiti Lake Trail, south of Canyon Village in Yellowstone National Park.
The couple was hiking west back toward their vehicle. At approximately 11:00 a.m., at about a mile and a half from the trailhead, they walked out of a forested area into an open meadow. It appears that the couple spotted a bear approximately 100 yards away and then began walking away from the bear. When they turned around to look, they saw the female grizzly running down the trail towards them. The couple began running, but the bear overtook them and attacked Mr. Matayoshi. The bear then went over to Mrs. Matayoshi, who had fallen to the ground nearby. The bear lifted her from the ground by her daypack and then dropped her. She remained still and the bear left the area.
Mr. Matayoshi received multiple bite and clawing injuries, and was dead when rangers arrived at the scene at approximately 11:30 a.m. Rangers immediately closed the hiking trails in the area. A subsequent helicopter patrol of the area failed to turn up any other hikers or backpackers. This small section of the park’s backcountry remained closed for several days.
Bear attacks are extremely rare. This is the first time a human has been killed by a bear in the park since 1986.
According to Herrero, most of those killed by bears were alone or with only one person. Therefore, hikers are encouraged to hike in groups of three or more people when in bear country. And bring a tent. Campers sleeping on the ground without a tent look like a carcass, and a perfect food source to the hungry bear.
Other tips for hiking in bear country include: stay on designated trails, be alert for bears and make noise in blind spots. Yellowstone National Park staff also encourages hikers to carry bear pepper spray. The Matayoshis were not carrying pepper spray.
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