63 year-old Lance Crosby was killed by a Grizzly Bear in Yellowstone National Park earlier this month. His body was discovered on August 7 near the Elephant Back Loop Trail in the Lake Village area by a park ranger after Crosby missed work and was reported missing. The experienced hiker was alone at the time of the attack and had worked and lived in Yellowstone for five seasons.

It’s a heart-breaking situation, of course for Crosby who lost his life and his loved ones who are left to mourn his passing, but also for the bear involved, and her cubs.

Wildlife biologists captured a female Grizzly Bear near the scene on the night Crosby’s body was discovered, and her two cubs were eventually captured as well. Biologists waited for test results to confirm that the adult bear that they caught was the one responsible for killing Crosby, and on August 13 park officials confirmed that the adult female Grizzly they captured was in fact the bear involved in the fatal attack, so she was euthanized.

At least the bear’s two cubs were spared. Since the cubs are too young to survive in the wild without their mother, arrangements have been made to transfer them to a facility accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which sets strict standards for facilities with regard to animal handling and care. The result: Later this fall the orphaned cubs —both female and less than a year old, will officially call the Toledo Zoo home.

When I first heard about this incident and that the bear involved would most likely be euthanized, my heart sank. At the time the female Grizzly and one of her cubs had been captured, awaiting their fate. The other cub was caught soon after. It was hard for me to imagine such a beautiful creature just waiting in a cage to be put down, separated from her babies with no hope of survival.

Like many, I feel a special connection to Yellowstone Park and its inhabitants. In my formative years I worked at Yellowstone for a summer, in the same Lake area where this recent bear attack took place. I hiked the backcountry and got to see many of the park’s wild inhabitants, including moose, buffalo, elk, eagles, mountain goats and, yes, a Grizzly Bear, though that spotting was from a distance. It was from the road and I was on the back of a motorcycle at the time.

So when I heard that a mama Grizzly was going to be euthanized, I was shocked and saddened. Sentencing a wild Grizzly Bear to death sounded harsh, when you consider that she was with her cubs at the time of the attack. Isn’t it natural for her to protect them, and if so, why should she be punished for fulfilling her natural duty?

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I needed to understand, so first I looked up the park’s explanation. Here’s what Dan Wenk, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, had to say:

“The decision to euthanize a bear is one that we do not take lightly. As park managers, we are constantly working to strike a balance between the preservation of park resources and the safety of our park visitors and employees. Our decision is based on the totality of the circumstances in this unfortunate event. Yellowstone has had a grizzly bear management program since 1983. The primary goals of this program are to minimize bear-human interactions, prevent human-caused displacement of bears from prime food sources, and to decrease the risk of bear-caused human injuries.”

I wanted to know more about “the totality of the circumstances” and whether there were other options worth exploring besides euthanasia, like re-location or placing the bear in a sanctuary, so I spoke with park spokesperson Amy Bartlett, and she shed some interesting light on the situation.

Not to get unnecessarily morbid, but investigators identified what appeared to be defensive wounds on Crosby’s forearms, and his body was found partially consumed and cached, or covered. That’s a significant detail, because as Bartlett explained to me, the bear “didn’t fully act in a defensive manner.” When confronted by a human, she explained, “Typically a bear will take her cubs and retreat, but in this case, she consumed a significant portion, and the consumption factor pushes this beyond looking at this as a defensive attack.”

Because the bear didn’t act in a defensive manner, Bartlett said, “that’s what pushes this over the limit and why we can’t let her keep roaming Yellowstone.” If the Grizzly had simply defended her cubs before fleeing, she would most likely be alive today, but that’s not what happened based on the evidence collected.

The other key factor in determining the bear’s fate, Bartlett explained, was the covering up of Crosby’s body. That alludes to the bear’s desire to consume more at some point, and the park can’t in good conscience allow a Grizzly Bear with a taste for human flesh to roam its woods.

So what about alternatives to euthanasia like relocation or placing the bear in a sanctuary? Bartlett explained, “It’s really hard to relocate bears, and it’s hard to put a bear in an area where they’re not going to encounter people,” adding, “We don’t like to transfer our problems.”

According to Bartlett, the typical home range for a Grizzly Bear is 800-2,000 square miles for a male and 300-550 square miles for a female, so it’s hard to place a bear within that large an area. She also pointed out that bears will typically try to get back to their home range anyway, which it seems, would defeat the purpose of relocation.

As for placing the bear in some sort of zoo or sanctuary, Bartlett stated plainly, “Adults typically don’t do well in captivity.” Cubs are apparently able to adapt better.

While putting a healthy, wild animal down and leaving her offspring motherless may seem harsh, Bartlett points out, “It’s not about just one bear. We have to look at a population of approximately 750-800 in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. We have to look at the future of our program and the entire population of bears, and we have to strike a balance.”

It’s also a matter of protecting people. Crosby was alone at the time of the attack, (which is not recommended in bear country) so some of the details about what happened that fateful day will remain a mystery. Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Dan Wenk said, “We may not be able to conclusively determine the circumstances of this bear attack, but we will not risk public safety.”

Here’s what Wenk had to say about the decision euthanize:

“As managers of Yellowstone National Park, we balance the preservation of park resources with public safety. Our decision takes into account the facts of the case, the goals of the bear management program, and the long term viability of the grizzly bear population as a whole, rather than an individual bear.”

National Parks are recreational destinations for people seeking to enjoy the great outdoors, but they are also home to a plethora of wild animals. When it comes to bears, Yellowstone’s warning to visitors is, “Your safety cannot be guaranteed.”

There is an average of one bear attack in Yellowstone each year. In 2011, in separate incidents, two visitors were killed by bears inside the park.

The park provides helpful suggestions for reducing the risk of a bear encounter. Hikers are advised to stay on designated trails, carry bear spray, be alert for bears, make noise to help avoid surprise encounters, and travel in groups of three or more people. (91 percent of the people injured by bears in Yellowstone since 1970 were hiking alone or with only one hiking partner.)

Still, I know from experience, that people will do what they want. Despite all the warnings and information provided to the public by park officials, I remember being asked numerous times by visitors when I worked at Yellowstone, “Where should we go to see bears.”

“Ugh, don’t you get it people?!” That was my feeling at the time. For the safety of humans and bears, the point is to avoid encountering them.

It’s heartbreaking what happened to Crosby, and one can only imagine the pain his loved ones must be feeling. My heart aches not only for them, but for that mama bear whose life was prematurely cut short, and I’m left wondering what if anything, can we learn from this tragedy where there are no winners, only loss?

If you ask me, the best way for humans to remain safe and to prevent animals in national parks from being euthanized is to follow the safety suggestions and warnings set forth by park officials while visiting, though Bartlett was quick to point out to me that these safety suggestions are just that – suggestions, as opposed to laws or requirements.

Still, I think it’s safe to say that these suggestions are well worth acting on.

What to do if you encounter a bear in the wild

For the record, what are you supposed to do if you encounter a bear in the wild? The short answer is, it depends on the situation. If the bear doesn’t see you, the best thing to do is remain out of sight. If you are spotted, do not panic, and definitely don’t run, because it can trigger a chase response and unless you’re Superman, you can’t outrun a bear. Instead, slowly back away, and follow these Yellowstone suggestions.

Please share this article with anyone you know who is heading to bear country.

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