Grizzly bear attacks Missouri woman who got too close to cubs, Yellowstone park says
A Missouri woman hiking alone at Yellowstone National Park was attacked by a grizzly bear, which park officials believe was trying to protect its cubs.
The 37-year-old hiker from Columbia stumbled onto two grizzlies “at very close range” on Monday, and the mother bear knocked her onto the ground, according to the National Park Service.
The woman tried using her bear spray during the encounter, the NPS said.
She survived with only minor injuries to her face and thigh, and declined medical attention.
“From the injured person’s statements, this appears to be a typical case of a mother grizzly bear protecting her offspring following a close-range encounter,” said bear management biologist Kerry Gunther. “Because this bear was displaying natural protective behavior for its cub, no action will be taken against the bear. Several trails in the area will be closed to give the grizzly family group time to clear from the area.”
The encounter marks the first time a bear has injured a Yellowstone visitor in 2020, according to the NPS, and it’s been about a year since the previous bear-related injury, when a black bear left a bruise on a woman’s thigh.
To avoid encounters like the Missouri hiker had, park officials recommend traveling in groups of three or more, make noise, be alert, carry bear spray, steer clear of areas closed for bear management, and don’t hike at dawn, dusk, or during the night, as bears are most active during those hours.
Bear attacks are uncommon at Yellowstone, and fatal attacks even fewer.
According to the NPS, there have been a little over 40 bear attacks on park visitors since 1979, and eight fatal attacks recorded since the park’s establishment in 1872 -- with the most recent having occurred in 2015, when a lone day hiker happened onto a mother grizzly and two cubs.
