Wildlife officials have issued an 'emergency closure' of part of Yellowstone National Park after a woman was discovered dead 'following an apparent bear encounter'.
On the morning of Saturday, 22 July, a woman's body was discovered on the Buttermilk Trail, West Yellowstone.
Investigators have confirmed they found 'grizzly bear tracks at the scene,' according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (Region Three) Facebook page.
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Custer Gallatin National Forest also took to social media to alert potential wanderers.
It highlighted the area which has been closed as a result of the alleged bear attack, now considered too dangerous for humans to enter.
The post reads: "Generally, the Buttermilk Area Closure is located about eight miles west of West Yellowstone. It follows the Continental Divide Trail (Forest Service Trail #116) from the trailhead near Targhee Pass on Highway 20 south to the confluence with Cream Creek Road (Forest Service Road #1703 and Road 484).
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"The area closure follows these roads to the east and north back to the Forest Service boundary just south of Highway 20 and to the west to connect with the Continental Divide Trail (Trail #116)."
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (Region Three) warned anyone 'venturing into the outdoors' in Montana to take several precautionary steps to 'Be Bear Aware'.
The post reads: "Carry and know how to use bear spray. Travel in groups whenever possible and plan to be out in the daylight hours. Avoid carcass sites and concentrations of ravens and other scavengers.
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"Watch for signs of bears such as bear scat, diggings, torn-up logs and turned over rocks, and partly consumed animal carcasses.
"Make noise, especially near streams or in thick forest where hearing and visibility are limited, to alert bears to your presence. Don't approach a bear."
In a release titled 'Bears in Montana,' shared by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (Region Three), it warns Montana is a 'bear country'.
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It continues: "The official animal of the state of Montana, grizzly bears reside mostly in western Montana but are increasingly roaming into areas where they have not occupied for decades. "They are currently protected in the lower 48 states as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
"Black bears reside across most of Montana and are managed as a game animal."
The report notes the 'majority of human-bear conflicts involve bears protecting their young or a food source,' however, details of the incident which took place this weekend have not yet been made public and the investigation into the woman's death remains ongoing.
UNILAD has contacted Yellowstone National Park and West Yellowstone Police Dept for comment.
Topics: Animals, US News, no-article-matching
Poppy Bilderbeck