Grizzly kills veteran hiker in Yellowstone National Park, authorities say
Source: Wasington Post
Authorities believe a Montana man who went missing in Yellowstone National Park on Friday was killed by a grizzly bear, according to a statement released by the National Park Service.
The victim, whose name was not provided, was described as an “experienced hiker” who had lived and worked in the park for five seasons, the statement said. A park ranger found him partially consumed a half-mile from the Elephant Back Loop Trail in a “popular off-trail area he was known to frequent,” the statement said.
Although the exact cause of the man’s death is under investigation, the victim’s body had defensive wounds on his forearms, the statement said. Based on partial tracks found at the scene, authorities believe an adult female grizzly and at least one cub had probably been involved in the incident. Park rangers and wildlife biologists have been at the scene gathering evidence for bear DNA recovery, although heavy rains have made the effort more difficult, the statement said.
A forensic autopsy is scheduled for Monday, the statement noted.
Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/09/grizzly-kills-veteran-hiker-in-yellowstone-national-park-authorities-say/?hpid=z4
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Xipe Totec
(44,555 posts)Don't know if this will qualify as LBN, but welcome to DU anyway.
TexasProgresive
(12,729 posts)Edit- I'm wrong it is the 2nd story.
Xipe Totec
(44,555 posts)I no longer bother to post OPs in LBN.
TexasProgresive
(12,729 posts)Most of the time before I get it posted someone beats me to it. So I just don't.
iandhr
(6,852 posts)TexasProgresive
(12,729 posts)Let's see if the link to WP works here.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/09/grizzly-kills-veteran-hiker-in-yellowstone-national-park-authorities-say/?hpid=z4
I think the read more: messed it up.
edit to add: Some would say it is not of national interest but hey, it occurred in a national park. It was interesting to me and I live several states away.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)Grizzly bears are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the lower 48.
dhill926
(16,953 posts)would be the exact cause of death....
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)Bears will eat what's available, the guy could have had a heart attack (or anything, really) and the bear may have found him before the humans looking for him did... it happens that way too. Might be wise to wait until the autopsy is completed. The sad part is that the bear(s) figured out that that human was made out of meat, now the bear(s) will be killed when they are found.
A bear who feeds on human flesh in the park will become a dead bear rather quickly.
And it's sad for the guy's family as well. Not a good idea to go hiking alone in bear country, even if you "know" the area.
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)Bring a fat friend.
I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun my hiking buddy.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)it's a stupid joke.
Fact is, the bear can outrun you both and may go for the "better" meat that runs faster, or maybe likes to chase down the ones that run faster than their buddies but not the bear... who can reach speeds of 45mph.
You have no idea how tired I am of hearing idiots retell that stale point pf ignorance. I live rather near where this happened and I get so tired of clowns from non-bear country thinking that joke is even remotely funny. If you act stupid in bear country, the bears can get you and then the bear ends up dead because you didn't know how to behave respectfully in the bear's habitat. How would you respond if someone came into your home and acted stupid and disrespectful?
GGJohn
(9,951 posts)chill the fuck out, it was just a fucking joke.
I could care fucking less how tired you get of hearing that joke, fucking deal with it.
Journeyman
(15,445 posts)In Montana, when I hiked there some years ago, there was sage advice posted at the trail head.
The sign warned that both Black Bears and Grizzlies were in the area and advised that the way to safeguard from attack was to wear small bells on your clothing, to alert the bears you were nearby, and to carry pepper spray to use if the bears got too close.
The sign said the best way to determine if there were bears nearby was to look for fresh scat along the trails. Black Bear scat, it said, has small berries and bits of fur mixed in, all part of the bear's diet. Grizzly scat was easier to identify as it's larger, smells like pepper spray, and has little bells sprinkled throughout.
I just spit my dinner all over my laptop.
TexasBushwhacker
(21,196 posts)GGJohn
(9,951 posts)so I know the do's and don'ts when dealing with bears.
uppityperson
(116,017 posts)be this way to someone near where this happened. It's real for them, not a joking manner. Empathy, please?
GGJohn
(9,951 posts)there's no sense of humor.
I was just trying to lighten the mood and this person goes off on me so I gave it right back.
architect359
(580 posts)It was a good funny. Journeyman's tinkling bells story was another one. Than again, I'm usually the person that inevitably makes some kind of funny remark during adverse or stressful situations. Anyway, thanks!
GGJohn
(9,951 posts)I try to make light of stressful situations, I wouldn't have survived 40+ years in the Army if I didn't learn how to deal with the stress.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)As a kid, I used to make jokes at the expense of overweight people too, regardless of how chilled one may or may not be. When I was a child, a spake a child... though no doubt, you'll rationalize it as something not childish.
GGJohn
(9,951 posts)It was a fucking joke, GTFOI.
Historic NY
(40,010 posts)http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Rutgers-Student-Darsh-Patel-Bear-Attack-Police-Search-2-Hikers-NJ-Forest-276895991.html
Case of so called intelligent people doing stupid things.
Doingto
(135 posts)According to the article.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)if he was carrying bear spray.
dhill926
(16,953 posts)Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)It's quite easy to tell from the bruising or non bruising of teeth marks. If he had had a heart attack or stroke and dropped dead, there would have been no bruising near puncture marks.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)the comments were made before much info was released.
I had inside info and knew the details prior to their release each day... apparently this was a bear mauling death. That being said, this person also chose to violate all safe hiking protocols which is often the case with contracted employees for whatever reason. He was alone, off trail and NOT carrying bear spray... aside from that, it looks likely that it was a sow with cub(s) who was defending her young. Regardless of his poor judgement probably bringing about his own demise, the bear will pay for it even though she was defending her young... they'll all be dead when it's all said and done.
It's one of the major reasons why homo sapiens is not my favorite species.
TexasProgresive
(12,729 posts)2naSalit
(102,650 posts)open-carry-clowns waving their weenies around in the parks these days, not a far fetched concept.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)
shenmue
(38,597 posts) 
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)hope park officials do not plan to kill the bear.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)I always carry bear spray in grizzy prone areas. Its always on my mind hiking in areas like that.
elias49
(4,259 posts)Or is it a case of 'better than nothing'?
uppityperson
(116,017 posts)opportunists, or moms with cubs, or near a food cache, etc, yes. It does work. However, do NOT use like mosquito spray and spray yourself because after the mist settles, some bears like the spiciness. And yes, some idiot tried to use it like that.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)it would probably make you very vulnerable since you'd likely be rolling around puking and crying with burning skin, eyes and lungs for about an hour.
Studies show that it is 94% effective as opposed to maybe 4% when using a firearm.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)uppityperson
(116,017 posts)Here is a bunch of stupid people and a couple rangers trying to keep everyone, including the bear family, safe.
Also used against robbers.
&spfreload=10
elias49
(4,259 posts)2naSalit
(102,650 posts)According to several studies, it's 94% effective when used under appropriate conditions, extends spray to 30 ft. The only time it's not really helpful is if you are downwind of the target in windy conditions. It is 4X the concentration of pepper that is used by police on humans.
The original stuff was developed by a guy who was horribly mauled in Glacier NP many years ago.
A person can open-carry in most national parks, but it's illegal to shoot it, even in self defense against a predator... it's best to carry bear spray and know how to use it before heading out into bear country.
Reter
(2,188 posts)I just don't want to be around them.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)stay out of their territory then, why invite trouble?
I live in NYC. I'd also be terrified to go camping in a state like Montana.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)for recognizing that and acting accordingly. I was raised, mostly in the NE area but not in cities. I find it quite peaceful to be away from humans most of the time. I guess I have the same type of sense that you have toward wild animals as I do about people!
I see bears in my yard from time to time, I look out the windows before exiting every time I go outside, and I keep bear spray next to the door just in case, carry it with me when I go out in the yard of when hiking or skiing. The stuff comes with a velcro fastening holster so it can be attached to a belt or backpack strap.
I don't think I could survive in a town or city of more than about 500 humans anymore. If I end up being food for some wild carnivore, I can accept that more than being shot or whatever by a human.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)"Call me what you wish..."
Docile and domesticated.
glinda
(14,807 posts)unprepared. Secondly she may have been protecting her cub. Plus if she was hungry it was her home. seriously....people think that they own every square inch of this planet. Sorry but as bad as I feel for him the reaction to killing them is again human centric and I feel this is why humans will go extinct. This story is sad on all counts.
TexasBushwhacker
(21,196 posts)for acting like animals.
restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)morons.
evil, human centric stupidity.
as you said, it will cost us all.
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)a sow and cub as suspected, they will both be killed. DNA tests will be conducted to figure that out. Sad thing since the hiker, seasoned as they say, was not following protocol for hiking in bear country... alone and off trail.
The reason the officials will kill a sow and cub (if DNA shows they are the ones that have fed on this guy) is because they have discovered that humans are edible and when they figure that out, they may attack other humans... especially as summer comes to an end and the bears all go into hyperphagia, and are slamming for calories before hibernation. At that point, anything edible is going to get eaten if they can gain access to it... wherever they can find it/them. We are made out of meat after all.
The Stranger
(11,297 posts)The link was broken. Is it in the story somewhere?
glinda
(14,807 posts)
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)
Xithras
(16,191 posts)Bears learn by test and example, and are cautious around the unknown. When they are young, they must be taught what kinds of plants and animals can be eaten, and what kinds must be avoided. That's why most bears are fairly wary around people, the bear simply isn't sure if we're a predator or if we're prey. Because they aren't sure, they try to avoid us to protect themselves. They'll typically only attack to defend themselves or if they are hungry enough that their fear of potential predators has been overridden by their fear of starvation. It's unheard of for a bear with a good local food source and no cubs to attack a human. This is something that Timothy Treadwell and others have learned the hard way. Bears can be fairly friendly and nonthreatening when they're well fed, but it's impossible to know how well fed a bear has been recently, and you never know where any particular bears "is the hunger worth the risk" line has been drawn.
Once a bear kills and consumes a person, the bear has learned that humans fall into the "prey" category, and all future interaction between that bear and humans will have a predator/prey relationship. Even worse, if the bear is a mother or female, the bear will also attempt to show its cubs that humans are potential prey. Bear mothers are hardwired to teach food sources to their cubs, and if a mother has associated humans with prey, the mother will run down and kill a human...EVEN IF SHE ISN'T HUNGRY...just to pass on that particular hunting behavior to her offspring. Once a cub witnesses an attack on a human, that predator/prey relationship can be established long before the cub is old enough to actually hunt on its own.
shrike
(3,817 posts)And he'd been required by the Park Service to move to an area where none of the bears knew him -- Soooo, dinner.
Strelnikov_
(8,162 posts)They are very large animals living in a marginal environment for them.
They are wary of us because we could defend ourselves, thus expending valuable energy they need to survive. Once they know we are easy, we're hard-wired as a ready food source, as you note.
Probably one reason that bear spray is very effective. The animal is left with the message that we are more of a pain than it's worth to eat.
The only defense we really have is that we are weird. Which is why encroachment of development on the major remaining large bear habitat's must be controlled. The more of us they see, the less weird we become.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)A bear's instinct is to prey on smaller mammals, deer, humans, etc., when that type of prey is available.
It's hard to believe that preying on one human suddenly makes a bear more dangerous than it already was. But I could be wrong. Some cites to your assertion would be appreciated. Not trying to be an a-hole, just curious.
Xithras
(16,191 posts)The basic difference is that with bears, just as with wolves, humans, and other social animals, hunting is a learned behavior, and not an instinctive one. How to hunt, and what to hunt, are taught by their mothers, older siblings, or packs. Orphaned cubs, wolf pups, and human children have very low survival rates in the wild for just this reason. Even if they escape becoming someone's dinner, they can't hunt or gather food effectively until someone teaches them how.
Bears tend to be wary around animals that they don't recognize as prey, which is why bear attacks are relatively uncommon even though millions of people a year hike in bear country. While most bears are more than capable of taking a human down, they were never taught to hunt humans, and as a result they don't necessarily associate us with prey. We're just annoyingly loud animals that stomp through their homes and occasionally shoot painful liquids at them when they get curious and wander too close.
But bears, like most animals, get desperate when they get hungry. That's why bears have been caught attacking wolves, humans, badgers, and other animals over the years that aren't normally considered bear prey. A desperate bear, just like any desperate and hungry animal, may attack just about anything if they get hungry enough.
The problem with this scenario is that humans aren't really capable of fighting back against a sustained bear attack. A bear attacking a wolf, cougar, or badger may get a meal, but he's also going to get torn up and will continue to associate that animal with being a dangerous predator. Humans, on the other hand, tend to be easy prey for a starving and hungry bear. We become a low risk/high reward target like deer or rabbit. Because hunting is a learned behavior, and not an instinctual one, killing a human "teaches" a bear that we are an easy meal. As an unknown (and therefore potentially dangerous) animal, attacks on humans only occur when bears are desperate for a meal. Once that "unknown" aspect is removed and the bear learns that humans are a tasty and relatively risk-free kill, the bear becomes less wary about attacking us. That's a very dangerous situation, because it lowers the bar for future attacks. And because female bears pass their hunting knowledge on to their offspring, it puts additional lives in danger as the bear "teaches" that same lesson to its cubs.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)I too have spent a great deal of my life in the wilderness, in which I was not at the top of the food chain.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)There is no option.
The body was partially eaten and cached (covered with some earth), so it is clear that the sow regarded this as a meat source.
glinda
(14,807 posts)a few humans that would make for good supper. And not be missed.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)That's normal. Bears are omnivorous.
If they learn that humans are meat meals, they'll go after humans. It's not confined to cases in which they are starving.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Timothy Treadwell's story is on Netflix from beautiful footage he took, he spent 8 years/seasons? among grizzlys in Alaska. last season he was there with a girl friend and a bear killed and ate both of them. his camera was on so they caught the audio. documentary is called "Grizzly Man".
what a way to go
2naSalit
(102,650 posts)there was a bear caught in a trap, DNA is being tested... no cubs caught.
So this seasoned hiker was out solo in a not very long trail area but off trail and without bear spray.
In my experience I have found that seasonal contracted employees in this kind of National Park become complacent about safe hiking protocols in bear country and flaunt their familiarity with favorite locations only to end up getting harmed and often getting bears or other wildlife killed as a result of their bravado.
It's sad for the family of this guy and the wildlife... but I also think that being responsible for one's own safety should be the norm and if a person is not willing to act responsibly in the first place and the wildlife kill them, so be it. Wild means wild and a "pass at your own risk" edict should be the rule. SO if you go out hiking in bear country not properly prepared and a bear kills and eats you, it's your fault and the bear shouldn't be killed for your lack of concern for the wildlife who have few places of refuge from us anymore.
glinda
(14,807 posts)2naSalit
(102,650 posts)been on the fighting side of this issue for many years. Not up to date on some of the info of the last couple years - had to take a break for my own sanity.
I attended an interesting discussion about this with a small bunch of heavy hitters a few days ago... some progress is being made but it will take a lot more public input to get 'er done.
Vinca
(53,953 posts)Last week an alligator killed a woman swimming in an alligator-infested river, so of course they had to kill the alligator. When a shark kills someone they look for the shark. If you're going into these habitats you assume the risk. The animals shouldn't get a death sentence for being animals.
maxsolomon
(38,678 posts)that made preying on a human necessary for her survival. That's what they found about the Sow that killed a camper in Cooke City (just outside the east entrance) a few years back.
Now you can't tent camp at those NF Campgrounds. "Hard-sided" only.
shrike
(3,817 posts)PBS program and (old) book about two campers killed by different bears on the same night, Glacier National Park. Both bears turned out to either have injuries or an illness that apparently forced them into human predation.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)it could have been me.
RIP.
Don't kill the bears, you stupid assholes.