Authorities found the body of a woman west of Yellowstone National Park on Saturday after an apparent encounter with a bear.
The woman was found on the Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone and is believed to have died after encountering a bear. according to Statements from Montana’s Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. An investigation into her death is ongoing, but surrounding areas such as the Custer Gallatin National Forest have issued an emergency closure of the Buttermilk District “for the safety of the people.”
Bears are common throughout the United States, especially in the Yellowstone area. “The grizzly bear population has increased in recent years. People planning to go outdoors should ‘beware of bears,'” the statement continued. Visitors to the area are cautioned to always carry and know how to use bear spray, to act in groups, to avoid carcass sites, crow concentrations, signs of bear activity and noise.
Wildlife attacks seem to have increased significantly in recent years. In May, a woman was stabbed to death after trying to pet a bison in Yellowstone. A similar attack in July at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota seriously injured a woman in an encounter with a bison. (Related: Video of a woman being run over by a moose)
Some didn’t even have to leave their homes to be attacked. A man in Florida heard something outside his front door and opened it to find an alligator. Before the man realized what was happening, the creature jumped up and bit him in the thigh.
