The three bears are awaiting the results of a lab test but their case has already sparked cries of outrage from nature lovers who argue that the “mama grizzly” was simply defending her young. A native of Billings, Montana, Crosby was an experienced hiker who lived and worked in Yellowstone for five seasons, and frequented numerous park’s trails. His body was discovered Friday, partially eaten and hidden by animals about a half-mile from the nearest trail. One of the bear’s two cubs has also been captured and officials plan to capture the second.
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The NPS says that wildlife biologists set bear traps in the area where Crosby was attacked on Friday evening. The cub, if captured, could be killed or adopted by a zoo or rehabilitation center.
Wenk said, “We have no way of knowing what the circumstances were around his death“. “We can’t favor one individual bear over protecting the lives of humans.'” Appealing to the notion of “sound science” is a decoy that might make some people think that science supports killing the bears, and it would be nice to know how killing these bears will protect humans in the future. Grizzly bears specifically have been reported to cause human injury just about once in every 11 years.
Bartlett said fatal attacks are rare in the park, with the last two attacks occurring in 2011 and the most recent before them in 1986. “As park managers, we are constantly working to strike a balance between the preservation of park resources and the safety of our park visitors and employees”, Dan Wenk, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, said in a press release. Park officials determined the victim’s actions helped trigger the attack and let the bears remain in the wild.
Don’t get too close to a mama grizzly and her cub. Officials said the hiker was reportedly near a popular trail with dense foot traffic when he was attacked.
As creatures of habit, grizzlies have been known to return to sites where they can obtain food, increasing the probability that the accused bear in question could kill again. It is also advisable to make noise to avoid surprise encounters and to report all encounters with bears immediately to park rangers.
Once the hike is underway, periodically yell, “Hey bear” to alert animals that there are humans nearby, which will give them time to leave the area.
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Campbell began the Bear 760 group after a bear in Grand Teton National Park, Grizzly Bear 760, was relocated out of the valley and a few weeks later euthanized by Wyoming Game and Fish for a variety of reasons based on their protocol.
