Will fatal bear mauling be investigated

Will there be an independent, objective investigation by law enforcement officials into the suspicious death of a man near Yellowstone Park who was killed by a grizzly bear that had just been trapped, tranquilized, and released?

Seventy year-old botanist Erwin Evert of Park Ridge, IL was killed on June 17 just two miles from his summer cabin on Kitty Creek, near the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team leader Chuck Schwartz says a 50-to-100 square yard area around the bear trapping site was closed. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service grizzly bear recovery coordinator Chris Servheen claims a trail that began near Evert's cabin and lead to the trap site was closed. Evert's wife and cabin owners in the area dispute these claims.

At "The Wildlife News," former Yellowstone Park backcountry ranger Bob Jackson also disputes claims that federal agencies close areas during bear trapping. Jackson says there would be strong public resistance to outright closures of U.S. Forest Service land. He says agencies merely issue stern warnings. (6/27/2010 at 5:47 PM)

Entering a closed area would literally be a federal offense. Ignoring a warning is not a crime. One could argue that ignoring a warning sign about grizzly trapping was bad judgment. One could also argue that failing to close federal land where grizzlies are being trapped is negligent. 

Servheen told the Chicago Tribune that on June 17, the bear trappers caught a 430-pound male grizzly in a foot snare. "They tranquilized it, collected blood and hair samples and fitted it with a [radio] collar. They waited for it to stir, then beat a quick retreat."

Did they watch the bear to make sure it recovered from being tranquilized? "Standard Operating Procedure" for the "Capture, Handling & Release of Grizzly Bears" in Canada's Northwest Territories is that "bears captured by snare should be observed from a safe distance until they recover and move away from the site." (p.20)

A Park County, WY sheriff's department press release said that after tranquilizing and radio-collaring the bear that later killed Evert, trappers "packed up their equipment and left the area."

If their job was done, why would the trap site still be closed? Wouldn't the trappers take down the "closed" signs and pack them out with the rest of their equipment?

Erwin Evert left his cabin for a daily hike at 1:15 p.m. He could easily have covered the two miles to the bear trapping site in an hour. That puts him at the trap site at 2:15 p.m.

According to the Chicago Tribune, authorities said trappers left the area where the bear was released "around 1 p.m." Oddly, the bear trappers did not cross paths with Evert. Stranger yet, there's no indication law enforcement officials have tried to determine exactly when Evert died.

The bear trappers were on horseback. It was only two miles to Evert's cabin, but they didn't arrive until at least 4 p.m. Why would it take three hours to cover two miles on horseback?

Near the cabin, the bear trappers were met by Erwin Evert's wife Yolanda, who told them her husband was late returning from his walk. One of the bear trappers claims he went back up the trap site and found Evert's body. Did he notify a supervisor via cell phone or 2-way radio? "Hey boss, I thought thought you might want to know there's a dead body where we just tranquilized and released a grizzly bear."

All that's known is that the bear trapper went back down the trail to the cabins to deliver horrifying news to Yolanda Evert. It took 15 minutes, round trip.

The Park County Sheriff's Department wasn't notified "that a subject had possibly been mauled and killed by a grizzly bear until 6:48 p.m."

What took so long? The bear trappers met Yolanda Evert sometime between 4 p.m and 5 p.m. If there was no cell phone service or 2-way radio service at the cabins on Kitty Creek, it was 15 minutes max to the East Entrance of Yellowstone Park. Why did it take almost 2 hours to call the Sherrif's department?

Nothing about this story adds up. Everything points to a cover-up.

Yesterday, the Casper-Star Tribune's editorial board said a "formal review" of closures during bear trapping operations by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team "might reveal some ways to improve the process."

Not doubt it will. But an in-house review of bear trapping procedures by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team is one issue, and a law enforcement investigation into the death of Erwin Evert is another matter entirely.

Is a law enforcement agency going to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Erwin Evert's death?