Hiker Killed by Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone

[Dave]

New today, from the Associated Press:

HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Yellowstone National Park officials say they euthanized a grizzly bear after DNA tests confirmed it attacked and killed a hiker last week.
Park officials say the adult female bear was killed Thursday because it had eaten part of the Montana man's body and hid the rest. They say that is not the behavior of a female bear defending its young.
An autopsy confirmed 63-year-old Lance Crosby of Billings died of a bear attack. His body was found by park rangers on Friday about a half-mile from the nearest trail.
Park officials captured the adult bear and two cubs. DNA from bear hair samples collected next to Crosby's body confirmed the female was responsible for the attack.
They say arrangements are being made to transfer the cubs to a zoo.

 

[DrNed]

I agree with that, 100%. Except for the no known history of human aggression part. What kind of history of human aggression do you need? She just killed and ate some poor fawker. She's a man eater. Sounds like a pretty serious history of human aggression, to me.

They say... Humans are downright tasty. Long pork, was the euphemism the last of the cannibals used. The other white meat. Sweet and tender, so all the descriptions go. In the literature, it's not hard to find examples of bears going back for more, after that first taste, of the forbidden fruit. We're soft and slow and full of good fat and calorically dense. And tasty. For an animal that burns fat for energy - unlike most of humanity who've fallen into the carb trap, why wouldn't a nursing sow bear easily capable of stalking, killing and eating us, go back for more? My reading of the literature, says she is way more likely to, than a bear that hasn't tasted the forbidden fruit. I'm sure that will be disbelieved and discarded as nonsense, here. I trust Art to ferret out and read the tea leaves on it, if he wishes, and will abandon the subject entirely now, myself.

I'm all for letting people take their chances out there. Everywhere. In all contexts. Totally in favor of way less rescue and overall concern for human safety. Let idiots (or the simply unlucky), die out at the Wave, rather than further burden everyone with regulations and access restriction which serves only to save the lives of the unprepared. Let 'em just die. I'm fine with that. Apply that concept universally. I'm down.

Bear country? Same deal. I'm fine with letting the bears rule as they please. No repercussion for eating people. Provided, we humans are legally allowed to care for ourselves. I end up as predator turds? Sounds good to me. But, do allow me freedom to fully participate in the event. In which case, take it as sadly, and I won't begrudge the thought, but, I like MY chances.

But that's not reality, or ever going to be reality. The world is moving, at an ever accelerating pace, in the opposite direction. If gov't is going to make rules and restrict our behavior, "for our own good" and the good of the animals, then gov't killing of the killers is just part and parcel of it. I don't see trying to have it both ways as very reasonable. Kill the bear and move on... Else let people get eaten, or not, according to their own conscience, ability and luck. But also let them fully participate in their own fate, without repercussion. But, like I said, that's not reality.

None of which, touches on the real issue here. Which are the financial aspects. Money is the ultimate driver of all policy decision anymore. In all areas of gov't. Finances dictate that man eaters be destroyed. None of our thoughts or concerns will be consulted, except as elaborate diversion. Money best served by destruction of killer bear. End of story.

- DAA

Well said.

I can't wait to see my wife's eyes roll when I tell her I'm "forbiden fruit."

In all seriousness, that has always been my understanding for why the bear must go down - more likely to eat again - and as Randy said, future liability.

 

[River]

https://lodgetrailmedia.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/death-of-a-man-death-of-a-bear/

 

[Nick]

https://lodgetrailmedia.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/death-of-a-man-death-of-a-bear/

Thanks for posting that. Great article.

 

[Joey]

Just curious, what was your encounter?

I had a black bear charge my tent multiple times, with me in it. I didn't know what kind of bear it was at the time. My camp was very clean.

I woke up to something at the edge of my vestibule. I talked to it, thinking it was a deer. It started woofing, or what I call hyperventilating. It backed away, ripping loose the vestibule stakes. I talked calmly to it, to which it charged the tent, stopping at the edge of the tent. It repeated this process 5 times over about 2 minutes. It would back away, hyperventilate, then charge towards the tent, stopping just short.

I wasn't sure what to do. Talking softly was what I've been told to do in these situations. But the bear charged the tent after I did that. Bear spray is worthless inside the tent, unless the bear rips it open. I bring an air horn for this exact situation. I had slept on my arm wrong, so my hand was numb for a while as I tried to get both the air horn and bear spray. Finally, the bear stopped charging, but I could here him just outside my tent, continuing to do that hyperventilating noise. I could tell he was at the foot of my tent, so I climbed out the door by my head. I saw a good sized black bear standing 5 feet from the foot of my tent, just looking at me. I started talking to him, which did nothing. Then I started yelling loudly at him, which did nothing. He made another "woof" like noise. I decided to shoot the air horn rather than spray him. That worked, although he didn't go crashing off. But he turned around and left.

NPS monitored the campsite afterwards. The bear didn't return. And there were no other reports of a bear in camp before that. I think the bear was curious about the tent, and then surprised to hear the tent talk to him.

I used to be of the mind frame that black bears weren't dangerous. I've learned over the last 8 years that all bears can be dangerous. I hear people from other parts of the country say things like "its just a black bear". These are the same people who come up in the northern Rockies, see a black bear, and call it a grizzly bear.

The point to my post is bears do what ever they want. They are unpredictable. So why do humans try to predict them. I've had grizzly cubs walk right up to me as I was sitting down, with their mom following right behind. I've had grizzlies loiter in my camp, I've had a grizzly follow me to an out house, and circle it all night out of curiosity. Multiple times I've ran into both black and grizzly bears, and had them approach rather than run off. Often times bears will test you out. I've also had multiple experiences where grizzlies have ignored my food, and only been curious in me.

 

[slc_dan]

I had a black bear charge my tent multiple times, with me in it. I didn't know what kind of bear it was at the time. My camp was very clean.

I woke up to something at the edge of my vestibule. I talked to it, thinking it was a deer. It started woofing, or what I call hyperventilating. It backed away, ripping loose the vestibule stakes. I talked calmly to it, to which it charged the tent, stopping at the edge of the tent. It repeated this process 5 times over about 2 minutes. It would back away, hyperventilate, then charge towards the tent, stopping just short.

I wasn't sure what to do. Talking softly was what I've been told to do in these situations. But the bear charged the tent after I did that. Bear spray is worthless inside the tent, unless the bear rips it open. I bring an air horn for this exact situation. I had slept on my arm wrong, so my hand was numb for a while as I tried to get both the air horn and bear spray. Finally, the bear stopped charging, but I could here him just outside my tent, continuing to do that hyperventilating noise. I could tell he was at the foot of my tent, so I climbed out the door by my head. I saw a good sized black bear standing 5 feet from the foot of my tent, just looking at me. I started talking to him, which did nothing. Then I started yelling loudly at him, which did nothing. He made another "woof" like noise. I decided to shoot the air horn rather than spray him. That worked, although he didn't go crashing off. But he turned around and left.

NPS monitored the campsite afterwards. The bear didn't return. And there were no other reports of a bear in camp before that. I think the bear was curious about the tent, and then surprised to hear the tent talk to him.

I used to be of the mind frame that black bears weren't dangerous. I've learned over the last 8 years that all bears can be dangerous. I hear people from other parts of the country say things like "its just a black bear". These are the same people who come up in the northern Rockies, see a black bear, and call it a grizzly bear.

The point to my post is bears do what ever they want. They are unpredictable. So why do humans try to predict them. I've had grizzly cubs walk right up to me as I was sitting down, with their mom following right behind. I've had grizzlies loiter in my camp, I've had a grizzly follow me to an out house, and circle it all night out of curiosity. Multiple times I've ran into both black and grizzly bears, and had them approach rather than run off. Often times bears will test you out. I've also had multiple experiences where grizzlies have ignored my food, and only been curious in me.

woah.

 

[Artemus]

Well related, Joey. You have a wealth of experience and enough encounters where you have your own statistics to contribute to our understanding and probability assessment. Thank you.

 

[Yellowstone 1]

If you're up for some reading here are the case files from the NPS for the Brian Matayoshi and John Wallace grizzly caused deaths from 2011. They include witness reports, ranger reports, evidence photos(some blacked out for privacy reasons), maps and aerial photos. They used to have the 911 audio from the Matayoshi mauling, but no longer have it attached.
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/Matayoshi-Fatality-Redacted.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/WallaceBearAttackFatalityDocumentsForWeb.pdf

 

[Artemus]

If you're up for some reading here are the case files from the NPS for the Brian Matayoshi and John Wallace grizzly caused deaths from 2011. They include witness reports, ranger reports, evidence photos(some blacked out for privacy reasons), maps and aerial photos. They used to have the 911 audio from the Matayoshi mauling, but no longer have it attached.
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/Matayoshi-Fatality-Redacted.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/WallaceBearAttackFatalityDocumentsForWeb.pdf

Notice the foia directory in the path - must have been disclosed due to a Freedom of Information Act request...

 

[Artemus]

@Joey any new beta on the recent fatality near Yellowstone Lake you hear up there?

 

[Jackson]

Crap, @Joey. That's quite a story. Thanks so much for all your input. I think that your last paragraph is what bear safety should be all about. Other than the obvious food safety, carry bear spray, make noise, and be aware of your surroundings, just knowing and accepting that all bears have different personalities and can be unpredictable.

 

[Joey]

@Joey any new beta on the recent fatality near Yellowstone Lake you hear up there?

The victim was known to trail run while listening to music on headphones. I don't think anyone can say for sure this was definitely what happened in this case (without proof). But it's something I've been told was a very likely scenario.

My guess is he was trail running, listening to music, and ran right up on her. She just happened to be right by the route he was on, so timing was everything. She woofed, he had no idea, and she charged him. If he saw her coming, it was probably for less than a second before she knocked him down. Then, the body laid there for a while, and either curiosity, or the presence of meat, led to the bear feeding on him.

She would have definitely woofed at him when he got close. Woof is a loose term I'm using to describe various bear sounds. More commonly, sows pop their jaws. That sound, when played to other grizzlies in studies, will make every grizzly run. It is a very clear, and well known warning sign, to leave. They also make a sound that is similar to cutting wood with a saw. That sounds weird, but I've heard it before once when a bear ran around my tent back in 2007. Then I've read about it in books. But she definitely would have given him a warning. Bears would much rather conserve energy than attack.

"You know, other bears ate on him too. But they didn't kill those bears. LOL, its all about saving face and preserving the park's image." That is a quote as it was said to me in my van by someone while we drove past the trailhead the other day.

Bear spray would have made no difference in this scenario. One of the most ignorant comments I keep seeing and hearing is that the guy died because he didn't have bear spray. No, the guy died because he most likely ran right up on a sow with cubs of the year, and had no idea she was there. If he had bear spray with him, he most likely still would have been killed. Probably even if he had it in his hand.

 

[Aldaron]

If you're up for some reading here are the case files from the NPS for the Brian Matayoshi and John Wallace grizzly caused deaths from 2011. They include witness reports, ranger reports, evidence photos(some blacked out for privacy reasons), maps and aerial photos. They used to have the 911 audio from the Matayoshi mauling, but no longer have it attached.
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/Matayoshi-Fatality-Redacted.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/features/foia/WallaceBearAttackFatalityDocumentsForWeb.pdf

To me, the reports drip of the NPS trying to protect itself from litigation by documenting how much each of the visitors was told about protecting himself in grizzly country. That is very weird to me. But I guess I don't have experience conducting investigations in which the government could be sued for what happened. But it still feels very weird to me that the NPS investigators feel like they have to "prove" that people know that Yellowstone has grizzlies in it and that grizzlies can be dangerous.

Anyone else notice that the Wallace report showed that bear #281 was captured six different times in four different traps? That bear just couldn't take a hint.

 

[Joey]

To me, the reports drip of the NPS trying to protect itself from litigation by documenting how much each of the visitors was told about protecting himself in grizzly country. That is very weird to me. But I guess I don't have experience conducting investigations in which the government could be sued for what happened. But it still feels very weird to me that the NPS investigators feel like they have to "prove" that people know that Yellowstone has grizzlies in it and that grizzlies can be dangerous

That's exactly what it is, and I kind of understand why. If you look back at some of the earlier bear attack deaths in the park, they were sued. One judge even asked the park why they didn't have a sign every 5 feet along the road warning people about bears.

This is just a product of our society, and the country/world we live in today.

 

[McGimpkins]

I used to be of the mind frame that black bears weren't dangerous. I've learned over the last 8 years that all bears can be dangerous. I hear people from other parts of the country say things like "its just a black bear". These are the same people who come up in the northern Rockies, see a black bear, and call it a grizzly bear.

A little while back a black bear in New Jersey killed and partially ate a guy. The New York Times claimed that: "No one has been killed by a bear in New Jersey since modern record keeping began." To me it seems just about any animal can be dangerous, you just have to apply common sense.

Here is another vid of one messing with joggers up in Canada:

 

[Aldaron]

That's exactly what it is, and I kind of understand why. If you look back at some of the earlier bear attack deaths in the park, they were sued. One judge even asked the park why they didn't have a sign every 5 feet along the road warning people about bears.

This is just a product of our society, and the country/world we live in today.

I can certainly see this as being a reaction to the attack on Erwin Evert in 2010 where he was killed by a bear that had been trapped by researchers just after they released the bear and removed the warning signs about the trapping. But this is a different situation...the NPS didn't have any direct influence on these bears' behavior. I guess it's just our litigious society: you didn't tell me enough times that there were dangerous animals out there so I'm going to sue you. So now they have to document how many times they told people there were dangerous animals. Oh well.

 

[Aldaron]

I also think it's strange how few people in the reports actually had bear spray. But then I remember the first time I backpacked in Glacier in college...I didn't carry bear spray, either.

 

[JackBurns]

http://theweek.com/speedreads/57394...ent-card-asking-park-train-bears-where-guests

This is the visitors expectations.

 

[Aldaron]

I had a guy at Yellowstone once ask me where the bears were. I just looked at him for a minute trying to comprehend the question, and then I said, "Um, go to the ranger station and ask them."

I guess it's hard for me to understand the mind of someone who's never been out of the City, with a capital C.

And I don't even mean that as a criticism...I get confused as can be when I walk down to the subway in DC...I'm sure they would laugh at me for that. We just all have different experiences.

 

[Dave]

I get confused as can be when I walk down to the subway in DC...I'm sure they would laugh at me for that. We just all have different experiences.

I tell people all the time that I'm more comfortable walking alone through the desert than I am in a crowded city.