Woman Found Dead After 'Apparent Bear Encounter' Near Yellowstone

A woman was found dead following "an apparent bear encounter" west of West Yellowstone National Park in Montana on Saturday (July 22), the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks said in a statement shared on Sunday (July 23).

"Yesterday morning, a woman was found deceased on the Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone following an apparent bear encounter. Investigators confirmed grizzly bear tracks at the scene, and the investigation is ongoing," the agency said.

Custer Gallatin National Forest, which is located west of West Yellowstone, issued an emergency closure due to "bear/human safety concerns." Bears are present throughout Montana and the population of grizzly bears has seen a spike in recent years.

Bear attacks are, however, considered rare at Yellowstone, which averages about one bear attack annually and a total of eight people having been killed by bears at the national park since 1872, according to the National Park Service.

"More people in the park have died from drowning (125 incidents) and burns (after falling into hot springs, 23 incidents) than have been killed by bears," the National Park Service said. "To put it in perspective, the probability of being killed by a bear in the park (8 incidents) is only slightly higher than the probability of being killed by a falling tree (7 incidents), in an avalanche (6 incidents), or being struck and killed by lightning (5 incidents)."