The grizzly bears at Yellowstone National Park are beginning to emerge from hibernation.
Early Wednesday morning, a park employee saw a grizzly bear between Mammoth Hot Springs and Tower-Roosevelt. This is the first confirmed grizzly bear sighting this year, even though bear tracks have been found in the park since Feb. 22.
Hours after the first sighting, Yellowstone staff saw two more grizzly bears scavenging carcasses in the northern section of the park.
Park officials said that when bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter. Sometimes, bears will react aggressively while feeding on carcasses.
Because of all of Yellowstone is bear country, the National Park Service is advising all visitors to stay safe by following these guidelines:
- Prepare for a bear encounter.
- Carry bear spray, know how to use it and make sure it’s accessible.
- Stay alert.
- Hike or ski in groups of three or more, stay on maintained trails and make noise. Avoid hiking at dusk, dawn or at night.
- Do not run if you encounter a bear.
- Stay 100 yards away from black and grizzly bears. Use binoculars, a telescope or telephoto lens to get a closer look.
- Store food, garbage, barbecue grills and other attractants in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes.
- Learn more about bear safety.
- Report bear sightings and encounters to a park ranger immediately.
“Yellowstone visitors care deeply about preserving bears and observing them in the wild,” said Kerry Gunther, the park’s bear management specialist, in a press release. “Carrying bear spray is the best way for them to participate in bear conservation because reducing potential conflicts protects both people and bears.”
While firearms are allowed in the park, the discharge of a firearm by visitors is a violation of park regulations.
The park restricts certain activities in locations where there is a high density of elk and bison carcasses and lots of bears. Restrictions began in some bear management areas on March 10.
