Hiker Killed by Yellowstone Grizzly

There are several reports of Bigfoot being seen or heard in Yellowstone, and folks are tempted to go there in search of Sasquatch. If you do, please be careful of the grizzlies. The first fatal grizzly bear mauling in Yellowstone National Park in 25 years has occurred. The presence of grizzlies in Yellowstone has increased in recent years.

Recent sightings from Yellowstone are mentioned at the BFRO site:
July 2002 (Class A) – Noon sighting by family of four near Mount Washburn, Yellowstone National Park
July 2002 (Class A) – Noon sighting by family of four near Mount Washburn, Yellowstone National Park
July 2000 (Class B) – Driver sees bipedal creature in headlights near Yellowstone hot spot
July 2000 (Class A) – Day hiker sees large, hairy animal which seems to follow him
November 1997 (Class A) – Sighting near Yellowstone Park entrance by two witnesses cutting wood
July 1997 (Class A) – Sighting by a motorist near the park entrance approach from Cody
May 1978 (Class A) – Two gov’t geologists witness hominoid creature cross road about 30 min. east of Yellowstone Park’s East Gate
October 1980 (Class B) – Memory told of heavy, bipedal running heard while camping in Yellowstone National Park
1970s-1980s (Class A) – Yellowstone backcountry ranger describes sighting, other incidents

In this May 4, 2009 file photo, a grizzly bear walks across a road near Mammoth, Wyo., in Yellowstone Park. Yellowstone’s grizzlies are going to be particularly hungry this fall, and that means more dangerous meetings with humans in a year that is already the area’s deadliest on record. Scientists report that a favorite food of many bears, nuts from whitebark pine cones, is scarce. So as grizzlies look to put on some major pounds in preparation for the long winter ahead, scientists say, they will be looking for another source of protein – meat – and running into trouble along the way. (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, David Grubs, File)

A visitor to Yellowstone National Park is dead after an encounter with a grizzly bear on Wednesday morning. The incident occurred on the Wapiti Lake trail, which is located east of the Grand Loop Road south of Canyon Village.

The husband and wife couple had traveled about a mile and a half in on the trail the morning of July 6, 2011, when they surprised a grizzly sow with cubs.

In an apparent attempt to defend a perceived threat to her cubs, the bear attacked and fatally wounded the man. Another group of hikers nearby heard the victim’s wife crying out for help, and used a cell phone to call 911.

“It is extremely unfortunate that this couple’s trip into the Yellowstone backcountry has ended in tragedy,” said Dan Wenk, Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park. “Our heart goes out to the family and friends of the victim as they work to cope with their loss.”

The name and hometown of the victim are being withheld pending notification of family members.

A bear warning sign is posted at the Wapiti Lake trailhead, since it is one of the access points to the Pelican Valley area, known for significant bear activity. However, there had been no reports of bear encounters along or near the Wapiti Lake trail this season. There had been no recent reports of animal carcasses along or near the trail. No research trapping of bears has been conducted in Yellowstone National Park this season.

The last fatal grizzly attack in Yellowstone was in October 1986, when the mauled body of a man was found by the road near Otter Creek. A camera and tripod were nearby, causing park officials to conclude that the man was attacked while he was photographing a grizzly.

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015. Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

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