Two more bears killed in Yellowstone

A couple weeks ago I posted an article about several tragic deaths that have occurred in Yellowstone this summer, including that of several bears that have been killed in or just outside of the park.

Now comes word that two more bears have been found dead near Fishing Bridge in the east central section of Yellowstone National Park.

One was a giant 576-pound grizzly, currently in Bozeman undergoing a necropsy to determine the cause of death. The other, a black bear, was probably hit and killed by a vehicle sometime Tuesday afternoon.

A total of seven bears have now been killed this summer within Yellowstone park boundaries.

Earlier in the month, park biologists were forced to euthanize an adult female black bear that had been seen frequenting the Slough Creek area in the north central portion of the park. The bear was acting aggressively towards several backcountry campers in the area in recent weeks.

In two separate incidents in June, a female adult black bear and a young grizzly bear were both killed by hit and run cars.

In that same month, in two separate accidents in two days, two bears were accidentally killed during capture attempts by park biologist. One was a young grizzly and the other a young black bear.

Additionally, the mother grizzly bear that went on a rampage with her three cubs, killing one man, and injuring two others in a campground just outside of Yellowstone last month, was also euthanized.

A Yellowstone Public Affairs Officer stated that more bears may be coming down to lower elevations this year because one of their favorite foods, the whitebark pine cones, are in short supply. As a result, bears tend to do more feeding at lower elevations, thus increasing the chances of human-bear conflicts.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com