The morning sun lights up Grand Teton in Grand Teton National Park north of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Aug. 26, 2016. A grizzly bear that attacked a hiker in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park will not be captured or killed by wildlife officials, as it may have been trying to protect its cubs, park officials said in a statement Tuesday.
Brennan Linsley/The Associated Press
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Brennan Linsley/AP
A grizzly bear that was accidentally hit with pepper spray while attacking a hiker in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park will not be captured or killed because it may have been trying to protect its cub, park officials say. said in a statement.
A grizzly bear attacking a hiker on Signal Mountain bit the man’s bear repellent can, causing the bear to flee. A 35-year-old Massachusetts man who played dead during the bite was safely evacuated and spent Sunday night in the hospital.
Signal Mountain, or the roads and trails leading to its 7,700-foot (2,300-metre) peak, had been closed due to the attack, but there was no word on when they would reopen. These closures are typical after grizzly bear attacks on public lands in the Yellowstone region occur several times each year.
The decision not to pursue the bear, which authorities determined was a natural act after being startled, did not involve raiding campsites, eating food left by people, or similar behavior that would make the bear more dangerous. It is also consistent with no attack.
Rangers track many of the 1,000 or so bears that live in the Yellowstone region, but did not have detailed information about the bear responsible for Sunday afternoon’s attack, according to the statement.
The attack occurred despite the victim carrying bear spray and making noises in the woods to warn bears, the statement said.
The man then told rangers he had encountered a small bear and ran away, and as he reached for his bear repellent, out of the corner of his eye he saw a larger bear charging towards him.
He didn’t have time to use the bear spray, instead he collapsed to the ground with his fingers clasped behind his neck and one finger still holding the can.
The bear bit him several times, then bit into a can of pepper spray, which exploded and scared the bear away.
The man reached cell phone coverage and called for help. He was taken by helicopter and then by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Based on the man’s description, investigators believe the smaller bear he saw was likely a female grizzly cub that attacked him. Mother bears aggressively protect their cubs and stay with them for the first two to three years of their lives.
Park officials did not release the victim’s name. He was expected to make a full recovery.
