Charles Langston:Surprise attack by grizzly leads to closure of a Grand Teton National Park mountain

Massachusetts man injured in grizzly bear attack in Wyoming

Moose, Wyo. — A grizzly bear attacked and seriously injured a man in western Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, prompting closure of a mountain there Monday.

The grizzly was one of two that surprised the 35-year-old man from Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon on Signal Mountain. Rescuers flew the injured man by helicopter to an ambulance that drove him to a nearby hospital.

He was expected to recover, park officials said in a statement, declining to identify him.

The statement did not detail the man's injuries or say how he encountered the bear. Park officials closed a trail and the road to an overlook atop the 7,700-foot mountain.

The attack happened as Grand Teton and nearby Yellowstone National Park begin their busy summer tourist season.

Several such attacks occur each year as the region's grizzly population has grown. Park officials urge people to give bears plenty of space, carry bear spray and avoid leaving out food that might attract bears.

The attack comes just days after a man in Canada suffered "significant injuries" after being attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting with his father.

Last fall, a Canadian couple and their dog were killed by a grizzly bear while backpacking in Banff National Park. Just weeks before that, a hunter in Montana was severely mauled by a grizzly bear. 

Last July, a grizzly bear fatally mauled a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was later euthanized after breaking into a house near West Yellowstone in August. 

Also that month, a 21-year-old woman who was planting trees was seriously injured by a bear in British Columbia. Canadian officials could not locate the animal but believe it was a grizzly bear that attacked the woman.

In October 2022, a grizzly bear attacked and injured two college wrestlers in the Shoshone National Forest in northwestern Wyoming.

Grizzly bears in the 48 contiguous states are protected as a threatened species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  

Last month, the U.S. National Park Service announced it was launching a campaign to capture grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park for research purposes. The agency urged the public to steer clear of areas with traps, which would be clearly marked

In:
• Grizzly Bear
• Grand Teton National Park