Bear Captured, but Death of Hiker Unknown

Officials at Yellowstone National Park captured a grizzly bear that was found near the location where a hiker was killed. However, officials say that they are not sure whether the bear caught was in fact the bear responsible for the Michigan hiker’s death last week.

After officials take hair samples, the 25-year-old, 420-pound male bear is to be collared and released back into the park. If the bear is found to be responsible for the 59-year-old man’s death then officials will track the bear down and as a result kill it.

Hair samples were collected near the man’s body, but the DNA results found these to be inconclusive. Due to this, additional samples were sent in order to undertake extra tests. As there were no witnesses to the attack, a DNA match alone would not be conclusive in determining whether the bear found was responsible for the death or whether the bear simply happened upon it afterward.

Additional evidence would be needed, which could prove difficult.

As the Hayden Valley is an area that is known for a large amount of bear activity, officials may not be able to capture and correctly identify the bear that was involved in the incident.

The man’s body was discovered a week ago and is believed to have been killed either on Wednesday or Thursday during a solo hiking trip along the Mary Mountain trail north of Old Faithful. This trail is closed during the spring due to the frequency of grizzly bears feeding upon carcasses that have perished over the winter.

The injuries found on the man determined that he had died from a bear attack.

In order for people to maintain their safety when they are hiking in an area that is frequented by bears they should make sure that they have the necessary means of protection on hand. One way of ensuring this is by purchasing bear spray.

This has become a popular and safer alternative to a firearm when hiking. Not only that, but as it is a non-lethal self defense spray it means that the bear targeted won’t suffer, but will instead be repelled by the device, which is essentially what you want if you should find yourself confronted with a grizzly or black bear.

Having a form of protection on you is important and what better way of maintaining your safety then with a powerful spray device that has been created to protect you against bears.