Tag: grizzly bear

Man mauled by grizzly bear may have had luck on his side

A Wyoming man who was mauled by a grizzly bear last Friday appears to have been saved by bear spray simply by having it in his possession.

A Wyoming man who was mauled by a grizzly bear last Friday appears to have been saved by bear spray simply by having the deterrent in his possession.

Spencer Smith was shed antler hunting in Sunlight Basin northwest of Cody when he was ambushed in dense timber.

Smith, who sustained serious neck wounds, walked 1.5 miles to his ATV and called for help. He was assisted by Warden Chris Queen of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and flown via helicopter to a regional hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

A WGFD investigation revealed that during the encounter the bear bit and ruptured Smith’s bear spray canister as it was still in its hip holster. This “presumably” caused the bear to end its assault, the agency stated this week in a news release.

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Smith was hiking alone and the bear appears to have attacked before he could respond.

“This appears to be a surprise encounter that occurred at close range,” said Dan Smith, a regional supervisor for the WGFD. “The bear was likely behaving in a defensive manner resulting from an unexpected, close encounter.”

Investigators found tracks of a lone adult male grizzly bear, and a daybed site in dense cover about 30 yards from where the attack occurred. But they could not identify the animal and the WGFD does not plan to trap or kill any bears in the area.

–Grizzly bear images are via Wikimedia Commons and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Gleeful reception for grizzly bear emerging from hibernation

In these stressful times, thank goodness for small wonders, such as a grizzly bear emerging from its long winter hibernation.

In these scary and stressful times, thank goodness for small wonders, such as the sight of a grizzly bear emerging from its snow-covered den after a long winter nap.

The accompanying footage, captured at the Grizzly Bear Refuge in British Columbia, Canada, shows a bear named Boo poking his head through the snow to rediscover the bright and glistening universe above ground.

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“Eight years it took me to catch this moment!” exclaims a gleeful Nicole Gangnon, who manages the facility in Golden, B.C. “Yeah! Hello… Oh, my big boy, momma’s so proud of you!”

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Boo, looking groggy as he ends his months-long hibernation, is the star attraction of the 20-acre refuge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.

He and his brother, Cari, were orphaned in 2002 after their mother was killed by a poacher. Sadly, Cari died of intestinal problems in 2004.

According to the Kicking Horse website, “Boo hunts, plays, forages, and explores just like his wild cousins.”

The Grizzly Bear Refuge is billed as the world’s largest enclosed and protected grizzly bear habitat. Because of its vastness, guests are not guaranteed a Boo sighting but can return free of charge if they do not see the bear.

Viewers can click here to enjoy images of Boo captured over the years.

–Images are courtesy of the Grizzly Bear Refuge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

Yellowstone logs first grizzly bear sighting of 2020; visitors cautioned

Biologists flying over Yellowstone National Park on Saturday documented  the park’s first known grizzly bear sighting of 2020.

Biologists flying over Yellowstone National Park on Saturday documented  the park’s first known grizzly bear sighting of 2020.

The park announced Monday that the sighting, near Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin, occurred a day earlier than last year’s first sighting.

“Now that bears are emerging from winter dens, visitors should be excited for the chance to view and photograph them, but they should also treat bears with respect and caution,” said Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management biologist.

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“Many visitors think bears are ravenously hungry and more likely to attack people for food after emerging from hibernation, but almost all bear attacks result from surprise encounters when hikers startle bears at close distances and the bears react with defensive aggression.”

Male grizzly bears are typically first to emerge from hibernation, beginning in early March. Momma bears with cubs leave their dens in April and early May.

Although wintry weather might persist in and around the park for weeks, visitors are urged to exercise caution.

“Hikers, skiers, and snowshoers should travel in groups of three or more, carry bear spray, and make noise,” Gunther cautioned.

Visitors are supposed to maintain a distance of at least 100 yards from grizzly bears.

Yellowstone also reminded tourists that access to areas where there’s a high density of winter-kill bison and elk carcasses will be restricted in the weeks ahead to minimize the risk of surprise bear-human encounters.

–Generic grizzly bear image and Grand Prismatic Spring image are courtesy of Yellowstone/NPS