Self-inflicted hit of pepper spray drives off an attacking grizzly in Grand Teton National Park
https://www.npr.org/2024/05/22/g-s1-40/self-inflicted-hit-of-pepper-spray-drives-off-an-attacking-grizzly-in-grand-teton-national-park
Self-inflicted hit of pepper spray drives off an attacking grizzly in Grand Teton National Park
MAY 23, 2024 12:53 AM ET
By The Associated Press
The morning sun illuminates the Grand Tetons at Grand Teton National Park, north of Jackson Hole, Wyo., Aug 26, 2016. A grizzly bear that attacked a hiker in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park won't be captured or killed by wildlife authorities because it may have been trying to protect a cub, park officials said in a statement Tuesday.
Brennan Linsley/AP
A grizzly that accidentally inflicted itself with a burst of pepper spray while attacking a hiker in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park won't be captured or killed because it may have been trying to protect a cub, park officials said in a statement.
While mauling a hiker on Signal Mountain, the grizzly bit into the man's can of bear repellent and was hit with a burst of it, causing the animal to flee. The 35-year-old Massachusetts man, who'd pretended to be dead while he was being bitten, made it to safety and spent Sunday night in the hospital.
There was no word when Signal Mountain or a road and trail to its 7,700-foot (2,300-meter) summit would reopen after being closed because of the attack. Such closures are typical after the handful of grizzly attacks on public land in the Yellowstone region every year.
The decision not to pursue the bears, which officials determined behaved naturally after being surprised, also was consistent with attacks that don't involve campsite raids, eating food left out by people, or similar behaviors that make bears more dangerous.
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