Posted on 08/08/2015 9:39:07 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Preliminary results of the investigation into the recent death of a hiker in Yellowstone National Park show that the man was attacked by a grizzly bear. While the exact cause of death has not been determined, investigators have identified what appear to be defensive wounds on the victim’s forearms. The victim’s body was found partially consumed and cached, or covered, in the vicinity of the Elephant Back Loop Trail near Lake Village on Friday afternoon. Based on partial tracks found at the scene, it appears that an adult female grizzly and at least one cub-of-the-year were present and likely involved in the incident.
The name of the individual is being withheld pending family notification. The Montana man was a long-term seasonal employee of Medcor, the company that operates three urgent care clinics in the park. He had worked and lived in Yellowstone for five seasons and was an experienced hiker. He was reported missing on Friday morning when he did not report for work. A park ranger found his body in a popular off-trail area he was known to frequent, approximately .5 miles from the Elephant Back Loop Trail. Additional park rangers and wildlife biologists responded to the scene and gathered evidence for bear DNA recovery. The investigation will continue, although heavy rains in the area Friday evening and Saturday morning have made additional evidence recovery difficult. A forensic autopsy is currently scheduled for Monday.
Wildlife biologists set bear traps in the area on Friday evening. If bears are trapped and identified as having been involved in the attack, they will be euthanized.
“We may not be able to conclusively determine the circumstances of this bear attack, but we will not risk public safety,” said Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk. “We are deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim as they work to cope with the loss of someone who loved Yellowstone so very much.”
The Elephant Back Loop Trail and immediate area is closed until further notice. Signs are posted and maps of the closure area are available at park visitor centers.
All of Yellowstone National Park is considered bear country. Hikers are advised to stay on designated trails, travel in groups of three or more people, carry bear spray, be alert for bears, and make noise to help avoid surprise encounters.
Apex predators do not belong in the lower 48. Our ancestors, as in many other things, knew better.
Ya definitely gotta keep pulling the trigger but a .454 Casul will do the job.
45-70 is a heavy hard hitting round. I carry it in a marlin stainless steel 1895 guide rifle. I don’t care how big an animal is, you hit it with that under 100 yards, it’s going down.
I am guessing they will attempt to trap her and they have to take her out now that she has killed a human or else she will do it again as she will definitely see humans as a food source. The cub could be taken in and raised in captivity.
Most fatal attacks by North American black bears during the past century were conducted by lone, male animals that stalked and then killed their human victims as prey.
The common belief [ promoted by the enemedia ] that surprising a mother bear with cubs is the most dangerous kind of black bear encounter is inaccurate. Instead, lone male black bears hunting people as a potential source of food are a greater cause of deadly maulings and related predatory attempts.
People traveling or camping alone were the mostly likely victims — almost 70 percent of the fatalities involved single person. Only 9 percent of attacks occurred with more than 2 people present.
Beware the bear that stalks in silence: followed by a fast rush. Once predatory behavior is initiated it may persist for hours unless it is deterred.
- Dr. Stephen Herrero , University of Calgary .
http://www.adn.com/article/lone-predatory-black-bears-responsible-most-human-attacks
I'm guessing "eaten by a bear".
Congratulations to the cub on its award. Does every cub who kills a human get one?
Only if it is the cub-of-the-year.
That is a great book.
I meant is killing a human a requirement for being named cub-of-the-year?
I know Ambrose is a bit of a liberal turd, but I have enjoyed some of his stuff. For some reason, that passage really fired my imagination...it wasn’t too hard to visualize!
One can almost imagine the indians talking to each other:
HAIR STUCK IN SADDLE: “Running with Yellow Shoes, should we stop them from attacking the great bears?”
RUNNING WITH YELLOW SHOES: “Hell no! Lets see if we can sell tickets!”
It’s not too old it’s just not enough gun.
L
Thank you. It is on my list next time I head into town.
Because liberal puke groups are suing the federal government after the park services wanted to allow some minimal grizzly hunting.
Thank you Earth whatever it was...cannot recall the main group name in the suit.
However, the hunting war has really become heated as the agenda 21 folk want the land cleared of hunting, ranching, recreation, and farming. The use of excessive numbers of apex predators is a great tool.
The EPA is out of control.
Hunters are finding themselves being tracked by bear.
Great read, thanks for this post.
Well .. every time we have a liberal govt., they stop most of the animal hunting. Therefore, those who still try to hunt for food for their families .. are only becoming food for the animals.
He had no interest or concerns in us banging pots and pans, etc, and none of us were carrying, so here we are later after a chance to have some "camping cocktails" and figure out what we would do if he came back...:)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.