Man injured by Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park
Sow with cub attacks photographer near Trout Creek in Hayden Valley
by Pinedale Online!
May 23, 2007
A Montana man was received severe facial injuries as the result of an encounter with a grizzly bear Wednesday, May 23rd, in Yellowstone National Park. According to a Yellowstone National Park media release, the man, in his late fifties, was photographing bears along Trout Creek in Hayden Valley when he had an encounter with a grizzly sow with a cub.
After being injured, he hiked between two and three miles east to the Grand Loop Road where he was discovered by visitors about 1:00 p.m. Rangers and emergency medical personnel responded to the scene. The injured man was taken by ambulance to West Yellowstone, Montana and then transferred to an Air Idaho helicopter and transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Staying safe in bear country
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park officials remind visitors that grizzly and black bears are active in the spring. Sows with new cubs can be especially dangerous. Visitors are encouraged to hike in groups, make noise, and carry canisters of bear pepper spray. Visitors are also reminded to be “bear aware” and keep food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes to help keep bears from becoming conditioned to human foods. Some areas of the parks may be temporarily closed due to bear activity. Bear sightings should be reported to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible.
Bear attack statistics
Yellowstone National Park: There were no bear-caused human injuries in Yellowstone National Park during 2006. There have been eight minor injuries since 2000. The last bear-caused human fatality in the park was 21 years ago in 1986.
Grand Teton National Park: Since 1996, seven bears have been destroyed in Grand Teton National Park due to irresponsible human behavior that led to the bear’s habituation to human food.
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem There were 127 grizzly bear-human conflicts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in 2005, including injuring humans, livestock kills, and property damage. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes public land administered by the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service (Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks), Bureau of Land Management, and State land. Four of the 127 (2005) encounters involved injury to humans. (Source: Grizzly Bear-Human Conflicts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Report – 2005 data.) Between 1992 and 2000, there were 35 human injury conflicts with grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Source: Grizzly Bear-human conflicts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 1992-2000)
Related Links:
Interactive Grizzly Bear Study Team
Grizzly Bear-human conflicts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, 1992-2000
Grizzly bear attacks hikers in Yellowstone Park (NPS, Pinedale Online, 9/19/05)
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