One camper was killed and two injured in a horrific bear attack early Wednesday morning at the Soda Butte Campground, Montana just outside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park. A statement issued by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks stated that, “Investigators found a man dead at the campground at 4:30 a.m. Two other people, a male and a female, were reportedly bitten and later treated at a hospital in Cody, Wyoming. The identities of the victims have not been released.”
Soda Butte campground has 27 (Tent & RV) campsites and is open July through September. It is located in the 1.8 million acre Gallatin National Forest approximately 1 mile east of Cooke City - on US Highway 212 – at the northeastern corner of Yellowstone National Park.
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A number of tents were ripped and damaged during the attack though a subsequent search of the tents and campsite established that the presence of food in tents was not to blame for the bear rampage. “Everyone appeared to have followed all food storage regulations,” said Ron Aasheim a spokesman for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “This is not typical bear behavior…It’s not normal,” Aasheim added.
As a safety precaution Soda Butte, Chief Joseph and Colter campgrounds will remain closed whilst traps are set for the bears who may well return Wednesday evening.
Photo (above): Yellowstone Bear World near Rexburg, Idaho
FWP officials in conjunction with the National Park Service and the County Sheriff’s Office conducted a careful search for forensic evidence Wednesday. “We’ve extracted DNA samples from evidence found on site. This will help us identify the bear or bears involved, once captured,” said Aasheim.
7/30 News Update: A press release issued Thursday by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks states that they have trapped a female grizzly bear and two yearling cubs that are believed to be responsible for the attack. Officials then reset traps and snares for a third yearling cub which was captured in a culvert trap early Friday morning. FWP are confident that all the bears responsible for the incident have now been captured. “We set up tents as they were the night before and the bear that returned didn’t just sniff the tent, she destroyed it. We’re pretty confident we have the right bear,” said Warden Captain Sam Sheppard. Bear hair, saliva and tissue samples were sent to a DNA lab in Laramie, Wyoming. “We hope to have the DNA information Friday,” said FWP spokesman Ron Aasheim. The fate of the bears involved has not been decided. “The protocols of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee will be followed,” said Aasheim.
Soda Butte is a 10-acre campground located at an elevation of 7500 feet in the Greater Yellowstone area of Montana. It is a first-come first-served campground (no reservations) with 27 campsites - with tent pads – and a maximum stay of 16 days. Food boxes, toilets and potable water are available on-site. The largest parking site is 22’ x 60.’ There is a dump station behind the Chamber of Commerce in Red Lodge - a donation is requested. Alternatively you can use the dump station at the Rocky Mountain campground in Gardiner.
Gallatin National Forest, P.O. Box 5, Gardiner, MT 59030. Tel: 1-406-848-7375
Campers in the Greater Yellowstone area should always be “Bear Aware.” Here’s some advice from the Montana Department of Fish,Wildlife and Parks regarding the use of pepper spray:
Everyone should carry a can of bear pepper spray within a bear habitat. The spray should be carried in a hip or chest holster to ensure easy access.
Keep bear pepper spray readily available in your cooking area and in your tent.
Carry more than one can of bear pepper spray to ensure you always have the additional spray time should it take more than one burst to stop a bear, or if you encounter more than one bear.
View Yellowstone National Park in a larger map
Animals in the News: Buffalo attack in Yellowstone National Park injures woman | Bear steals car in Larkspur, Colorado: Blames Toyota for crash |
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© Copyright 2010 Julian L. Gothard. Protected pursuant to the provisions of the Berne Convention. All rights reserved.
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Comments
You do very nice articles! Love all the added content! I hope my articles on examiner.com get to be this good!
Small thing, but the attack and the death/injuries were NOT in the park, but in a campground OUTSIDE the park. Again, just for accuracy's sake, you should correct your headline. Thanks.
too bad we selfish humans keep insisting on encroaching on wildlife homes. What do we expect? This was bound to happen sooner or later. Humans are too overpopulated, we have to stop over-reproduing NOW to stop invading wildlife homes so these types of things wont happen.
Poor bears. They can't even be bears in their own dwindling habitat.
To: "A fan of accuracy."
The headline clearly states "near" Yellowstone NP. Furthermore, the first paragraph of the article notes that the attack occured just outside the park boundary. However, to ensure that readers are in no doubt as to the location of the incident here is the Latitude: 45.02417 and Longitude: -109.91139 of Soda Butte Campground courtesy of Hiker Central :)
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