The discovery of a grizzly bear carcass in outside Yellowstone National Park on Monday has prompted a federal investigation.
The carcass was lying on a Wyoming hillside perhaps 40 yards from the North Fork Highway between Yellowstone and the town of Cody.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has not provided details about the incident. Nor has the agency addressed social media reports that the bear appeared to have been shot.
A spokesman for the agency told FTW Outdoors:
“Grizzly bears are currently managed as a federally protected species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is assisting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the investigation.
“No further details are available at this time because it is an ongoing investigation.”
Amy Gerber of Cub Creek Photography on Monday posted an image of what she believed was the same large male bear she saw alive more than a week ago. Gerber estimated the bear’s weight at 500 pounds.
Amy Wells captured the image in the body of this text, showing the carcass. (The top image is generic.) More of Wells’ graphic images were shared Monday on a Yellowstone-themed Facebook page.
Grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem continue to emerge from hibernation and search for food in lower elevations. Close encounters with humans often occur during this period.
Anyone with information regarding the dead bear is asked to contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
–Generic grizzly bear image atop this post is courtesy of Yellowstone National Park