Current:Home > FinanceWoman found dead after suspected grizzly bear attack near Yellowstone National Park -TradeBridge
Woman found dead after suspected grizzly bear attack near Yellowstone National Park
View
Date:2025-04-18 08:19:48
A woman was found dead after a suspected grizzly bear attack near Yellowstone National Park, wildlife officials said over the weekend.
The woman was discovered following an "apparent bear encounter" Saturday morning on Buttermilk Trail, which is located west of West Yellowstone, a town close to the famed national park, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement Sunday. Investigators found grizzly bear tracks at the scene and the investigation is ongoing.
The nearby Custer Gallatin National Forest also issued an emergency closure to address "bear/human safety concerns."
Wildlife officials said bears can be found throughout Montana and, in recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded. They released a list of precautionary steps to take before venturing outdoors, which includes carrying and knowing how to use bear spray, traveling in groups and during daylight hours and avoiding carcass sights or concentrations of ravens and other scavengers. The department also said to watch for signs such as bear scat, diggings, turned-over rocks and partly consumed animal carcasses.
Still, bear attacks are fairly rare at Yellowstone. The park said it averages about one bear attack per year. According to the National Park Service (NPS), eight people have been killed by bears at Yellowstone National Park since it was established in 1872.
"More people in the park have died from drowning (125 incidents) and burns (after falling into hot springs, 23 incidents) than have been killed by bears," the NPS said. "To put it in perspective, the probability of being killed by a bear in the park (8 incidents) is only slightly higher than the probability of being killed by a falling tree (7 incidents), in an avalanche (6 incidents), or being struck and killed by lightning (5 incidents)."
Last year, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a Montana man near Yellowstone National Park. Investigators said the bear was likely defending a moose carcass and may have continued to aggressively guard the cache because of a recent fight with another grizzly.
- In:
- Grizzly Bear
- Montana
- Yellowstone National Park
Christopher Brito is a social media manager and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (661)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Stellantis expects North American strike to cost it 750 million euros in third-quarter profits
- Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Players to start or sit in Week 9
- Day of the Dead 2023: See photos of biggest Día de Los Muertos celebration in the US
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Model Maleesa Mooney Death Case: Autopsy Reveals New Details About Her Final Moments
- Seager stars with 2-run HR, stellar defense to lead Rangers over D-backs 3-1 in World Series Game 3
- Model Maleesa Mooney Death Case: Autopsy Reveals New Details About Her Final Moments
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Kylie and Kendall Jenner Are a Sugar and Spice Duo in Risqué Halloween Costumes
Ranking
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Panama’s leader calls for referendum on mining concession, seeking to calm protests over the deal
- Gwyneth Paltrow reflects on the magical summer she spent with Matthew Perry in touching tribute
- 5 Things podcast: Americans are obsessed with true crime. Is that a good thing?
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Marine Corps commandant hospitalized after 'medical emergency,' officials say
- Frank Howard, two-time home run champion and World Series winner, dies at 87
- How UAW contracts changed with new Ford, GM and Stellantis deals
Recommendation
Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Players to start or sit in Week 9
Southern California wildfire prompts evacuation order for thousands as Santa Ana winds fuel flames
Indonesian police arrest 59 suspected militants over an alleged plot to disrupt 2024 elections
Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
NFL trade deadline updates: Leonard Williams to Seahawks marks first big move
Biden touting creation of 7 hydrogen hubs as part of U.S. efforts to slow climate change
Stock market rebounds after S&P 500 slides into a correction. What's next for your 401(k)?