Grizzly Killed In Yellowstone Hit And Run Accident

Grizzly Killed In Yellowstone Hit And Run Accident

A young grizzly bear has been killed after being hit by a car in Yellowstone National Park.

The accident occurred Sunday night on US Highway 191 near the Fawn Pass trailhead, about 22 miles north of the community of West Yellowstone.

The body of the one-year-old male bear was found along the road by a passing motorist, who reported the discovery. The person who hit the bear did not report the accident and no witnesses have come forward, so details of the accident are unknown.

Tracks found at the scene indicate that an adult female and another yearling grizzly were in the immediate area of the accident but walked away apparently unharmed.

This is the first grizzly bear mortality reported in Yellowstone this year.

A female grizzly with three cubs was struck by a vehicle last week in Hayden Valley near the Mary Mountain trailhead, and then ran into the backcountry. As a precaution, the trail was temporarily closed.

Members of the park’s bear management staff hiked the area Monday afternoon but found no sign of the sow or her cubs. A recent visitor report of the four bears in the Hayden Valley area remains unconfirmed. The Mary Mountain trail has been reopened.

It is estimated there are roughly 150 grizzlies with home ranges that include portions of the park; with around 600 believed to live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

More than 100 large animals are killed in the park each year after being struck by vehicles. Visitors are encouraged to look for and expect wildlife along the roadside, follow the posted speed limit, and increase caution at night or during poor weather.