Yellowstone National Park is well love for its unique wildlife, but no animal is quite as iconic as the grizzly bear. There are approximately 150–200 grizzlies with home ranges entirely inside America’s first national park and an estimated 1,030 grizzlies living in the greater Yellowstone area.
Historically bear management in Yellowstone National Park was focused on giving visitors the best view possible. Bears could eat human food at park garbage dumps and park staff and visitors regularly fed the animals in campgrounds and along roads. In 1970 the park took on a new bear management plan aiming to protect and maintain natural populations of grizzly and black bears while keeping visitors safe.
Today Yellowstone takes a variety of steps to reduce bear-human conflicts including limiting the animals’ access to unnatural attractants in the first place. Bear-resistant dumpsters and trash cans have been installed throughout the park, developed areas are monitored for litter and food waste, bear-resistant food storage is required in campgrounds, and bear resistant fencing has been installed around sewage lagoons and garbage transfer stations. If bears still make their way towards developed areas or roadways, hazing and other management techniques are used as the next-steps.
In the below video, a grizzly mother-daughter pair shut down traffic between Yellowstone and the town of Cody, Wyoming. The bears named Raspberry (mother) and Snow (daughter) appear to be overly curious and comfortable around the vehicles, leading the ranger to utilize a horn to haze the bears and startle them away. If the bears continue to approach traffic there’s a good chance it could lead to injury, removal or death.
Towards the end of the video Snow approaches the videographer’s vehicle and makes direct eye contact with the person’s black lab in the front seat. Eye contact is sometimes seen as aggressive or challenging behavior for grizzlies, but the bear doesn’t appear to take it that way in this case. Dogs and grizzlies usually don’t mix, with studies showing that guard dogs are an effective way of keeping bears away from farms. In Yellowstone, pet owners are required to keep their dogs leashed at all times when outside vehicles.
Wildlife is always given the right of way in Yellowstone National Park. Stay with your vehicle if you encounter a traffic jam caused by animals and never approach within 100 yards of bears or wolves. If a bear approaches or touches your car, honk your horn before driving away to discourage the behavior. Read more on bear safety in Yellowstone National Park below.
Yellowstone National Park Bear Safety:
All of Yellowstone is bear country, from the trails in the park’s backcountry to the boardwalks and parking lots around Old Faithful. Your safety cannot be guaranteed, but you can play an active role in protecting yourself and the bears people come here to enjoy.
- 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. Observe all closures and restrictions in active bear management areas.
- 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.
If you’re involved in a conflict with a bear, regardless of how minor, contact us or report it to a park ranger as soon as possible. If cell service is available, dial 911. The lives of other people, and the bear, may depend on it.
