Woman Is Found Dead Near Bear Tracks Outside Yellowstone, Officials Say
The circumstances of the woman’s death were unclear. The Custer Gallatin National Forest and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday night.
Image A map showing the emergency closure in place for an area about 8 miles west of West Yellowstone. Credit... Custer Gallatin National Forest
On Saturday morning, the Custer Gallatin National Forest warned on Facebook that the Buttermilk Trail and surrounding areas were closed because of bear activity.
Grizzly bears, which are a federally protected subspecies of brown bears in all lower 48 states under the Endangered Species Act, roam throughout Montana. Their populations have expanded across the state in recent years and, in some cases, grizzlies have been spotted in places where they had not been seen for more than a century, including in the Pryor Mountains, where the species had likely not been seen since the late 1800s, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Park said in a statement.
That expansion “enhances the long-term prospects for population sustainability” for the bears, but it also “poses new challenges” for Montanans because the animals can damage property or injure people, the department said.
Officials have warned visitors to “be bear aware,” prompting concern among some residents, who have been reporting more sightings.
Source: The New York Times
