Bear cubs will normally be born in the den in spring and spend the summer with their mother to fatten up for winter hibernation. Smith said the cubs were born this spring. "Ultimately, due to the remote location, due to the condition of the cubs and the situation at hand, unfortunately those cubs had to be euthanized," Smith said. Fish and Wildlife Service to make the choice, Smith said. Grizzly bears are on the Endangered Species List, and Wyoming officials at the scene spoke on the phone with the U.S. Smith said fish and game officials made the unfortunate decision to euthanize the two grizzly cubs. Since 2010, we’ve had 30 injuries and three fatalities involving grizzly bears," Smith said. There may have been some other thing that we’re not even aware of, but it definitely just was a surprise, sudden encounter at close range with a bear," Smith said.Īlthough bear attacks and wildlife encounters regularly make the news in the Rocky Mountain Region, Smith said grizzly attacks are rare. “It may have been that the bear wasn’t aware that they were there or it may have been she was defending her cubs. It's still unclear what motivated the bear to attack, but the surprise of the sudden meeting was likely at play, Smith said. The injured hunter and his party, who were about five miles from the trailhead, rode on horseback to the north side of the Shoshone River to meet first responders. MTN News / Justin McKinsey A canister of bear spray for sale at Cabela's in Billings.ĭuring the attack, the sow bear was shot and killed by members of the hunting party, Smith said. Unfortunately, this still occurred," Smith said. They were trying to look where they were going by using binoculars and glassing from higher places into places they were going to walk and try to be bear aware. “All indications are these guys were trying to do everything right. Smith said the hunter and his group were hiking on Grizzly Ridge Trail above Grizzly Creek Drainage when they had a surprise encounter with the sow grizzly. Smith supervises wildlife biologists and game wardens in the Cody region of Wyoming, which stretches from the Big Horn Basin at the Montana / Wyoming border south to Thermopolis and includes the area from the Big Horn Mountains to Yellowstone National Park. “Even though you try to do all of these things to be safe in bear country, there’s still unfortunately these times where things just don’t go right," said Dan Smith, regional wildlife supervisor for Wyoming Game and Fish Department on Tuesday. BILLINGS - After a man hunting near Cody, Wyoming, over the weekend survived an attack from a female grizzly bear with two cubs, it's a reminder that even if you take all necessary precautions, there's still risk of a wildlife encounter while out in the woods.
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