YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyoming – There are tons of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park, around 150–200 with ranges fully or partially within the park, and around 965 in the greater Yellowstone area. Just like with any animal, grizzly bears can cause some problems when they wind up near a bunch of tourists, and causing traffic jams, referred to as “bear jams” in this case, isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Rangers are interacting with these animals fairly often, and sometimes they have to stand up straight while some seriously scary animals are charging towards them.
This grizzly bear reportedly had injured its front paw prior to this interaction. The bear was near a fairly busy road around Mammoth Hot Springs, and the park officer was called in to deal with the situation. As the officer was managing traffic and waving cars through, the grizzly bluff charged, and the ranger rushed behind his truck.
Following the charge, the ranger grabbed a shotgun and fired at the bear. He then proceeded to shoot multiple times in the air, with some of the shots sounding noticeably more explosive than the others. The ranger is not attempting to injure or kill the bear with these shots. Instead, he’s ‘hazing‘ the animal, hitting it with non-lethal rounds and loud cracker rounds to teach the bear that getting close to humans is a bad thing.
Yellowstone National Park on Bear Safety:
- Give bears space. Keep at least 100 yards (93 meters) from bears at all times and never approach a bear to take a photo.
- Carry bear spray and know how to use it. We recommend each person carry one can of bear spray in a readily accessible location like a quick-draw holster (not stowed away in your backpack).
- Hike in groups and make noise. Since 1970,91% of the people injured by bears in Yellowstone were hiking alone or with only one hiking partner. Only 9% of the people injured by bears were in groups of three or more people. While hiking on a trail, periodically yell “Hey bear!” to alert bears of your presence. Learn more about backcountry safety.
- Respect closures. Do not travel in areas closed for bear management.
- Never feed bears. Bears that become dependent on human food may become aggressive toward people and will be killed.
- Stay with your stuff. Do not leave packs or bags containing food unattended, even for a few minutes, as bears learn new food sources quickly.
- If a bear approaches or touches your car, honk your horn and drive away. We want to discourage this behavior for the bears’ safety and yours.
- Help us spread the word! Share posters from our “A Bear Doesn’t Care” campaign.