Grizzly Bear Kills Hiker Who Disturbed Cubs

A female grizzly bear has killed a man hiking with his wife in Yellowstone National Park after the couple surprised the animal and her cubs.


The attack happened about a mile and a half from the start of the popular Wapiti Lake trail.

Another group of hikers nearby who heard the victim's wife screaming for help called park rangers.

A National Park Service statement said the couple had inadvertently surprised the mother grizzly and her cubs, and in "an attempt to defend a perceived threat to her cubs, the bear attacked and fatally wounded the man".

Grizzly bears can weigh up to 1,500lb and despite their size, they can run at speeds of up to 35mph, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The bears tend to avoid humans but can be extremely aggressive if they perceive a threat to their young.

There are warning signs about grizzlies throughout the national park and Wednesday's attack took place in an area where bear sightings are common.

The victim's identity has not been released while his family is informed.
Park officials said the animals involved have not been captured and rangers do not have enough information yet to determine what measures they might take.

But park spokeswoman Linda Miller said the mother bear behaved normally in defending her cubs and would not be killed as a result of her actions.

Bears found to have repeated run-ins with park visitors are, however, sometimes relocated.

"If we have an aggressive bear that continually poses a threat to human safety, then we work to remove it from the ecosystem," Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said.

Attacks by bears are extremely rare and the mauling marks the first fatal bear attack in the park since 1986, the Park Service said.

But a mother grizzly killed one man and injured two other people in an unusual night-time attack on sleeping campers just outside Yellowstone in Montana last July.

The animal involved was later trapped and destroyed because the attacks were considered to be unprovoked and predatory.
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