Deadly Mama Grizzly Killed in Yellowstone

A mama grizzly linked to the mauling death of two hikers in Yellowstone Park has been killed by rangers. Two men were mauled to death in separate incidents over the summer in the first bear killings in Yellowstone in a quarter of a century. Bear DNA found at the site of the first mauling was also found at the site of the second death a month later. In the first attack, a grizzly sow with two cubs chased and killed a man as he hiked with his wife. A report by Yellowstone rangers concluded that a possible "contributing factor" to the mauling was that the couple "ran from the bear while screaming and yelling," and they decided not to track down the grizzly.

"We made a decision at that time, based on all the information available, that we did not have a bear with a history or a bear that was demonstrating any predatory nature," a park spokesman told the AP. But the same sow's DNA was found at the site of the second killing of a hiker walking alone—although tracks and DNA from several other bears were also found at the body, and rangers can't be certain which animal killed the hiker. The euthanized grizzly's two cubs were captured and relocated to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center wildlife park in West Yellowstone.
An estimated 600 grizzlies live in the greater Yellowstone area. (More grizzly bear stories.)