Yellowstone National Park is giving out a little more information about Monday’s bear attack. The Park Service said Thursday it now believes a sow and two or three cubs was involved in the attack that injured two hikers, aged 28 and 14 years old. There’s no word if the park is trying to identify or track the bears.
Tut Fuentevilla of the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone said of bears, “They live large in our imagination. They're scary.”
In the park, near Biscuit Basin, is the area that's closed after the recent bear attack. I spoke with some people who live in West Yellowstone. They are in the park almost daily, either guiding or hiking on their own. They said they have very little information about this bear attack, which is somewhat unusual, according to the locals. For instance, how did the encounter with the bear or possibly more than one bear occur? Were the hikers equipped with bear spray? Did they get a chance to use it?”
WATCH: Two hikers were injured in a bear attack near Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park. Here's what we know — and how experts say you can stay safe on the trail
But Fuentevilla said it is important to keep the attack in perspective. He said, “Even when these incidents occur, they really are still fairly rare. There are a lot of people who are sharing the landscape and sharing trails with bears every day in this area around Yellowstone.”
He said people need to give bears some space in the wild, “Be prepared to give those animals some space, lots of space. It’s good for us, and it’s good for the animals.”
Social media video shows bear tracks in the area where the injured hikers were found and the helicopter rescue. The extent of their injuries is unknown, but it could be that the investigators are unable to speak with the victims just yet.
“The risks of a dangerous encounter with a bear are real, and they're never going to be zero, but there is a lot we can do to minimize those risks,” said Fuentevilla.
You can minimize your risk by being alert, hiking in groups, making plenty of noise, and carrying bear spray.
Of bear spray, Fuentevilla said, “It is relatively easy to use and easy to use under difficult circumstances. When you spray it, you want to make sure you're spraying it in a way where the bear has to move through the cloud in order to get to you. So that's a little bit different than what you would use for personal defense, pepper spray, or a firearm. We also recommend that people use short bursts. Don't just empty the canister. That allows you to repeat those short bursts until the bear changes its behavior. And then if the bear is within that 20 to 30 foot range, you can spray it in the face.”
He said once you know the best way to use bear spray, there’s an added benefit. If people are carrying bear spray and confident in it, then it also means that they're less likely to panic or be scared or do the wrong thing if they have a close encounter with the bear.”
