Feds Investigate Possible Killing Of Grizzly Bear Found Dead Near Yellowstone
A federal investigation into the death of a grizzly bear found lying on its side in an open area in Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park is underway.
On Monday, photographer Julie Argyle shared images of the dead bear taken by fellow photographer Amy Wells.
“Earlier today, this grizzly bear was found dead just 14 miles outside Yellowstone National Park along the North Fork towards Cody, Wyoming,” Argyle wrote on Facebook. “It was roughly 20-40 yards off of the road.”
Another photographer who saw the dead bear, Amy Gerber, told Cowboy State Daily that people in the area first thought the animal might have been hit by a car. But she firmly believes someone shot the grizzly, which she estimated weighed about 500 pounds.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that the bear was shot,” Gerber said. “And there’s zero evidence of roadkill in the area. There’s no skid marks or shrapnel from a car.”
On her Facebook page, Cub Creek Photography, Gerber reported that the Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials told her the bear had been shot.
Neither Wyoming Game and Fish nor the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ― leading the investigation into the bear’s death ― immediately returned a request for comment from HuffPost.
However, Breanna Ball, a Wyoming Game and Fish spokesperson confirmed to the New York Times that a grizzly bear had been found dead near Cody, Wyoming. She also said the state agency assisted USFWS in the “ongoing investigation” but could not comment further.
USFWS spokesperson Joe Szuszwalak told the Times that the investigation was “open and active.”
A grizzly bear roams in Yellowstone National Park.
Grizzly bears in the region around Yellowstone National Park are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act. In Wyoming, people are prohibited from killing grizzly bears except in cases of self-defense, and anyone who kills one in self-defense must report to officials.
“It’s usually pretty easy to determine when a case was self-defense,” USFWS Special Agent Richard Gamba told Cowboy State Daily.
