![]() ![]() There are 6,741 state and national parks in America, and in the past 116 years, a bear attack death has only occurred in 36 of them. Most of them have been isolated incidents in small parks spread throughout the vast land.Īnd keep in mind, this is a really small fraction of all national parks. As a state, Alaska has had 24 total deaths - more than one-third of all bear attack fatalities in the United States. Only 11 parks have had more than one bear-related death, and six of them are in Alaska. Yellowstone, also home to both bear species, has had eight. ![]() ![]() I found that historically, Montana’s Glacier National Park - home to both black bears and grizzlies - has had the most bear attack fatalities, with 12. Some of these attacks also occurred outside of park land in these cases, we added the attack to the nearest park, forest, or wilderness area.) (Note: Attacks that happened in a wilderness area before the creation of a national or state park were added to the park that is now on that land. This gave me a list of 71 wild bear–related deaths in (or near) US state and national parks. I wanted to look only at attacks that happened in the wilderness, so I excluded these. Paring this down to just US fatalities, 26 of 97 were caused by captive bears - those kept in zoos or as pets (as was a short-lived trend in the early 20th century). Of these, 61 occurred in Canada and 97 in the United States. Since 1900, there have been 158 fatal bear attacks in North America. Half of all wild bear attacks in the United States happen in six national parks On October 1, 2016, Todd Orr, of Bozeman, Monana, was attacked twice by a grizzly bear in the in Madison Valley area. I’m seven times more likely to be struck by lightning than to lose my life to a bear here.īut I still feel discomforted, so I’m going to turn to the numbers. During that time, 20 million tourists have come through the park. In the past five years, three people have been killed by bears in nearby Yellowstone National Park. Freshly deposited on the path, berry-filled mounds of feces catch the sun. Claw marks and clumps of coarse hair extend 9 feet up the pine trees. I know they’re here: The mud is indented with Shaq-size prints. What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.High above the glassy waters of Hebgen Lake, just outside of West Yellowstone, I’m armed with an industrial-size can of pepper spray and scanning for grizzly bears. "These are the first foods sought out by grizzlies after emerging from hibernations." ![]() "Spring visitors skiing, snowshoeing or hiking in Yellowstone National Park are reminded to carry bear spray and be especially alert for bears near carcasses and areas with early spring green-up," Kerry Gunther, the park's bear management biologist, said Tuesday. The park service also noted that "all of Yellowstone National Park is bear country."Īmong guidance for bear safety, park officials instruct visitors to stay at least 100 yards away from the animals, never feed them, don't run upon encounters, report sightings to park rangers, stay alert and learn about carrying bear spray.Īre black bears dangerous? Here's what to do if you see one in the wild. "When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter," the park service wrote in Tuesday's release. "Sometimes, bears will react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding on carcasses." October: Grizzly bear attacks two college students in Wyoming What should you do if you see a bear? Don't turn and run, expert warns Though bear attacks are rare, park officials warned visitors to be especially cautious. Female bears usually emerge with cubs in April or early May. Yellowstone's first bear sighting of 2022 occurred on the exact day as this year's sighting, March 7.Īccording to the National Park Service, male grizzly bears come out of hibernation in early March – which suggests the grizzly spotted Tuesday was a male. The bear, which was not photographed, was seen near bison carcass remains in Yellowstone's Pelican Valley in the central-eastern area of the park. The first grizzly bear to emerge from hibernation at Yellowstone National Park this year has been spotted, park officials said.Ī wildlife biologist observed the adult grizzly – estimated at 300 to 350 pounds – during a radio telemetry flight, according to a National Park Service news release. ![]()
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