A grizzly bear killed a man who was hiking in the back country of Yellowstone Park on Wednesday. The man and his wife were hiking when they walked up on a female bear and her cubs.
The Wednesday morning attack is the first in the park since 1986, but the third attack in the Yellowstone area in the last year. The attack happened on the Wapiti Lake Trail, when the couple apparently scared the bear. Park Rangers say the bear was probably trying to protect her cubs.
The Wapiti Lake Trail area is now being cleared by rangers, but they say because of the remote location it’s almost impossible to warn other hikers.
I think the lesson here is that people need to be aware of their surroundings. Oftentimes tourists will trek out into these remote area without taking the time to understand what dangers lie ahead. It’s called the wilderness for a reason, wild things live out there and people need to be aware of the dangers and how to avoid them.
Find out how to protect yourself from bears while hiking in the wilderness.
