Woman found dead after ‘apparent bear encounter’ near Yellowstone

A woman was found dead after an “apparent bear encounter” near Yellowstone National Park in Montana on Saturday.

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) said investigators confirmed grizzly bear tracks at the scene and said the investigation was ongoing. 

The woman was discovered on the Buttermilk Trail, an area about 8 miles west of West Yellowstone. U.S. Forest rangers of the Custer Gallatin National Forest issued an emergency closure of the area “for human safety.” 

“Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded. People venturing into the outdoors should ‘Be Bear Aware,’” the department said in an update on the investigation before listing precautionary steps, including carrying bear spray, traveling in groups in daylight hours, avoiding carcass sites and making noises to alert bears to their presence. 

Last week, the FWP issued a warning that grizzly bear sightings have increased, including in some places “where grizzlies haven’t been seen in recent years, and in some cases more than a century.”

“Vigilance is important for those who live and recreate in the outdoors,” Quentin Kujala, chief of conservation policy for the FWP, said in the statement. “This is a busy time of year for bears and our field staff are responding to calls in these particular areas and across the state.”