Yellowstone National Park announced Tuesday that it has documented its first grizzly bear sighting of 2022.
A pilot conducting a survey over the west-central portion of the park spotted the adult bear walking in a meadow.
An out-of-den grizzly bear sighting, indicating that hibernation season is waning, had been anticipated based on the timing of previous first sightings.
In 2021, the first grizzly bear sighting was logged March 13 by a pilot flying over an undisclosed location. The bear was interacting with wolves that were feeding on a large animal carcass.
In 2020, the first sighting was reported March 7 near Grand Prismatic Spring in the Midway Geyser Basin.
In 2019, the first known sighting occurred March 8 between Canyon Village and the Fishing Bridge.
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In a news release issued Tuesday, the park explained that male grizzly bears typically emerge from their dens beginning in early March. Females with cubs wait until April or early May.
“When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter,” the park stated. “Sometimes, bears will react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding on carcasses.”
The park said visitors should exercise caution throughout the park, even on boardwalks around Old Faithful, and have bear spray handy.
“Spring visitors hiking, skiing, or snowshoeing in the park can reduce the chances of encountering bears by avoiding low-elevation winter ranges, thermal areas, and south-facing slopes where bears seek out ungulate carcasses and spring vegetation shortly after emerging from winter dens,” said Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist.
Yellowstone is in the process of plowing roads in anticipation of the spring and summer tourism season.