The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and Wyoming Game and Fish Department (Game and Fish) are currently investigating a grizzly bear attack. On Saturday morning, a man was injured by a grizzly bear while elk hunting west of Cody, Wyoming. The man rode out to the trailhead and was flown by helicopter to an area hospital where he is receiving treatment for what was initially reported as non-life threatening injuries.

Upon notification of the incident, Game and Fish immediately responded to the scene. Their initial investigation indicates the hunter was attacked after a sudden encounter at close range with an adult female grizzly bear with two cubs. The female grizzly was killed by the hunter and his hunting partner, and Game and Fish, in coordination with the Service, euthanized her two cubs. The investigation is ongoing and is under the direction of the Service.

“The Service sends our thoughts to the injured individual as he recovers,” said Dan Coil, Special Agent in Charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The Service partners with states to manage grizzly bears in grizzly country and appreciates Wyoming Game and Fish responding to the incident.”

Grizzly bears in Wyoming and the lower 48 states are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Service continues to work collaboratively with Wyoming and other states in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to manage grizzly bears.

“The safety of outdoor recreationists is always at the forefront of our minds,” said Cody Regional Wildlife Supervisor Dan Smith for Wyoming Game and Fish. “Our thoughts are with the individual who was injured and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.”

For bear safety tips when living in or visiting grizzly bear country, visit:  https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/grizzlysafety.php or the Bear Wise Wyoming homepage.