Last week a hiker was tragically killed (and partially eaten) by a bear in Yellowstone National Park. The man who was killed was an experienced hiker and a long-term seasonal employee of a “company that operates three urgent care clinics in the park” according to CBS News.
The article also states that “deadly encounters between bears and humans are rare. In close to 140 years, only 7 people were killed in the park by black and grizzly bears.”
Close to the site of the man’s remains, a female grizzly and two cubs were captured by park officials.
So what happens next?
Well, if DNA tests show that the bear did attack the man, she will be put down. Yahoo says the cubs would have to be euthanized too since the park doesn’t have an alternate home for them.
Yahoo wonders, “Should wild animals that attack humans in the wilderness be put down?”
I think this is a tough call.
Considering the bear was in its home- the wild, did it really do anything so wrong? If the captured bear was the attacker, maybe she was protecting her cubs from the man who crossed paths too closely to them.
If the bear attacked a person in a city or town then I think my answer would be yes, the bear is a threat and needs to be euthanized so it doesn’t attack again.
Yahoo’s article mentions how the “decisions to euthanize bears are based on individual circumstances“.
How do you feel about this topic? Should a bear that attacks a person in the wild face the death sentence or was it just being… a wild bear?
Find out more details from Yahoo here.
Ed- I’m pretty sure that is due to the fact that a bear that has attacked a person is more likely to do it again. It’s got to be scary coming close to a bear with nothing more than a can of spray to protect you.
Omatravel- Thanks for the update! I saw on Outside Magazine online that the bear was put down but did not hear anything about the cubs. I’ll have to look up the CNN article you mentioned to find out more details.
CNN is reporting they euthanized the mother bear because the attack and what happened after was more than self-defense. Theyll attempt to send the Cubs to a zoo.
In think in this case they were justified in killing the bear due to the possibility of the bear attacking another person
I’ve always known this rule but never really understood the basis behind it. Anyone know?
Had a few bear encounters at Yellowstone:
Once, I ran into the momma bear and a cub while hiking at Yellowstone a few years ago. Thankfully it was far enough away that it didn’t end bad (just slowly walked away while talking softly …. and with my hand trembling on the bear spray). Just gotta keep making loud noises so that they don’t get startled and have them attack you.