A 10-year-old was bitten by bear in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday/NPS file
A 10-year-old boy was saved from more serious injury from a bear Thursday in Yellowstone National Park when his parents defended him with a dose of bear spray in the bruin's face from five feet away, park officials said.
The family of four, from Washington state, was hiking up the Divide Trail southeast of the Old Faithful complex about 10 a.m. when the bear charged out of vegetation towards the family, according to the park. The boy ran from the bear, and it chased after him and knocked him to the ground.
"The parents effectively deployed bear spray about five feet from the bear’s face. Thereafter, the bear shook its head and left the area," a park release said. "After the incident, the family walked back to the trailhead, drove to the Old Faithful Ranger Station, and were directed to the nearby clinic. The 10-year-old suffered an injured wrist, puncture wounds to the back, and wounds around the buttocks. He was transferred to the Big Sky Medical Center."
Law enforcement and bear management staff responded immediately to the area and were trying to determine whether a black or grizzly bear was involved in the incident. The Spring Creek and Divide trails were temporarily closed.
Park staff pointed out that all of Yellowstone is bear habitat: "from the deepest backcountry to the boardwalks around Old Faithful." Visitors should be prepared to encounter bears anywhere in the park, they added.
There has not been a reported bear attack in Yellowstone since 2015. On average, one bear attack per year occurs in the park, the staff noted.
Comments
All weapons are not allowed on NPS units via federal regulation. The exceptions are where the park superintendent has issued an order, or that noted firearms exception that went into effect in 2010.
That means I can't have a slingshot or a paintball gun with me to haze bears if the wandered onto my campsite. It also means no bear spray unless it's in Alaska (by specific regulation) or those parks I mentioned (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, North Cascades) where that exemption has been created.
It would make sense to allow bear spray anywhere bears may be encountered other than the zoo. Blacks are less aggressive than grizz's, but that is a scale from zero to death. Who wants to find their way on that scale by feel or accident?
the Canadian
national parks do a better job informomg you what to do if you are attacked .. pulled out of your tent etc. it's put in the literature frony and center -- unlike the us parks .. and I've been to 95% of them. Rule one: DO NOT RUN. And I used this info when we encountered a grizzle in waterton National Park - just north of glacier . ... more info needs to be displayed in more "in your face "places.
Maybe a Ranger would ticket you in the backcountry for having a Bear Spray on your day pack or backpack belt, but I doubt it. I certainly wouldn't have written anyone up, back in my day. But that is me. I would rather see the intent of the law, rather than the letter followed. Personally, I would rather have some protection angainst a bear attack, and although I do own a hand gun, bear spray is much lighter and more effective. Although it would be legal, I don't see myself packing an exposed handgun into any backcountry, NPS or any other federal lands for that matter. You win the legal battle, but in my mind, I would rather feel safe in Bear Country and have a means to protect myself, family, friends, or other visitors if something bad should happen. I'll take the consequences. gladly.
Northern Rockies parks in the US do a very "in your face" presentation about bear issues, what to do in case you encounter a bear, etc. Yellowstone is in the midst of a marketing campaign on this as a matter of fact, and information is posted at every overnight trail and most day trails as well, including the Divide Trail. We sponsor live demonstrations of bear spray use (without the bear of course) where the public can try out "dummy" canisters. Both Glacier and Yellowstone have opportunitites for visitors to rent bear spray for those who don't want to buy it.
Other than having people in bear suits dancing at the entrances, or issuing free spray to every vehicle at the entrance stations, I'm not sure what else Glacier and Yellowstone could do to educate the public.
https://billingsgazette.com/lifestyles/recreation/yellowstone-launches-b...
If youre a child, especially at ten years old, Im sure your first instinct is not to just stand in front of any species of a bear. The bear probably startled him as well. People are trying to point out that he shouldnt have ran (as if it was his fault) and not remembering that this was a 10 year old boy; a kid.