grizzly bears

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Hiker found dead in Yellowstone was attacked by grizzly

Investigators have concluded that a hiker found dead on Friday in Yellowstone National Park was attacked by a grizzly bear, and park officials are working to trap and kill any bear determined to be involved in the incident. An exact cause of death has yet to be determined, but a preliminary investigation found what appear to be defensive wounds on the victim’s forearms. Continue Reading →

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Yellowstone investigating death of hiker found near Lake area

Authorities in Yellowstone National Park have closed an area to public access while they work to determine what caused the death of a hiker found by a ranger at around noon today. A Montana man who worked in the park had been reported missing by co-workers Thursday morning. Park officials have not released the man's name or additional details about the incident, pending notification of family members. Continue Reading →

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Grizzly bear trapping scheduled for west of Yellowstone Park

A tranquilized grizzly bear lies in a trap similar to those used for research studies or for capturing and relocating problem bears around the greater Yellowstone area.

Idaho wildlife biologists will be trapping grizzly bears in areas near Yellowstone National Park as part of ongoing research efforts required under the Endangered Species Act. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game is advising the public that scientific trapping operations are once again about to begin in the Upper Snake Region. Biologists working on behalf of the larger Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team will begin to work mainly in that portion of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest inside of the caldera in Island Park, along with sites to the west along the Centennial Mountain Range. Continue Reading →

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Yellowstone expert weighs in on who wins in a fight: grizzly or gorilla?

Yellowstone National Park biologist Kerry Gunther weighs a bear cub during field research.

If you've ever wondered who would win in a fight—a grizzly bear or gorilla—one expert from Yellowstone National Park advises betting on the grizzly. That's just one of the fun exchanges from a discussion held Wednesday on Twitter where Kerry Gunther, who leads Yellowstone National Park’s bear management program, answered questions as part of an ongoing Ask a Scientist series. Gunther's Q&A was part of a series Yellowstone has hosted via Twitter allowing anyone to pose a question to some of the park's top biologists. Past sessions have featured Rick Wallen discussing bison and Doug Smith talking answering questions about wolves. Continue Reading →

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Public warned about grizzly trapping in Grand Teton

A tranquilized grizzly bear lies in a trap similar to those used for research studies or for capturing and relocating problem bears around the greater Yellowstone area.

Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) plan to conduct trapping of grizzly bears within Grand Teton National Park as part of ongoing research efforts required under the Endangered Species Act. The trapping allows researchers to collect data and monitor the population of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). Monitoring of grizzly bear distribution, as well as their food selection and other activities, is vital to recovery of grizzlies across the GYE. Trapping operations will begin Wednesday, May 6, and continue through June 30, 2015. Continue Reading →

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Warm weather prompts Yellowstone area bears out of hibernation early

Unseasonably warm winter temperatures may be the reason behind bear activity in Yellowstone National Park, as February temperatures have hovered near record highs across the region. The first confirmed report of grizzly bear activity in Yellowstone occurred Monday, when a grizzly bear was observed late in the afternoon, scavenging on a bison carcass in the central portion of the Yellowstone. Continue Reading →

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Study: grizzly bears can adapt diet to changing climate

For years, many conservationists have worried what grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem will eat as changing climate and habitat conditions bring fewer whitebark pine nuts, cutthroat trout and other prime food sources. A recent study offers an answer: almost anything else. Research by several state and federal wildlife biologists found that grizzlies across the Yellowstone area eat a total of 266 different species of plants and animals, and display an amazingly adaptable diet that ranges from moths to algae. Continue Reading →

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Grizzly management meeting set for Oct. 29 in Bozeman

The Yellowstone Ecosystem Subcommittee of the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee will hold its fall meeting in Bozeman, Montana on October 29, 2014 and the public is invited to attend. A multiagency organization charged with recovery of the grizzly in the Yellowstone ecosystem, YES is part of the IGBC, which is responsible for grizzly bear recovery in the contiguous United States and adjoining Canadian Provinces. YES is made up of federal, state, county, and tribal agency partners. Continue Reading →

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Bears prompt temporary closure of scenic Grand Teton road

A temporary closure of the Moose-Wilson Road in Grand Teton National Park went into effect Wednesday, September 10, at 11 a.m. due to grizzly bear activity both on and near the roadway. In the coming weeks, visitors and local residents may encounter intermittent closures of the Moose-Wilson Road as bears (black and grizzly) seek out the abundant berries on the chokecherry and hawthorn bushes that flank this park road. Continue Reading →

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Electric fence program helps avoid Yellowstone area bear conflicts

P.J. Schneider, left, and dog dexter take a break while installing an electric fence last month with Russ Talmo. Defenders of wildilfe helped Schneider with cost-sharing and tehnical expertise on the project at a ranch southwest of Cody, Wyo. where chickens and goats could attract grizzly bears.

As the long, hot days of summer give way to cooler fall weather, bears across the greater Yellowstone area begin to binge on every available food source in preparation for winter hibernation. That typically brings increased conflicts with people, as bears become single-minded in their pursuit of calories, pushing into more populated areas and spending more of their time searching for a meal. Which is one reason why P.J. Schneider, 15, was busy last month installing an electric fence around a pen and small shed where he keeps 14 chickens and three goats. Continue Reading →

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