Two hikers were injured in a bear attack on a popular hiking trail near Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Geyser, park officials said Tuesday.
Authorities described the attack as an incident Monday afternoon on the Mystic Falls Trail.
A large area of ​​the park near Midway Geyser Basin was temporarily closed pending the investigation. The area includes at least five trails and several backcountry campsites.
Park officials said one or more bears were involved, but did not say which species. The park has populations of both brown bears and black bears, which can sometimes be difficult to distinguish. Grizzlies can be more aggressive and they grow much larger – twice as large as black bears. Black bears are generally dark in color.
Yellowstone spokesman Ashton Hooker said further information, including whether the victims were hiking together and whether they were hospitalized for their injuries, was not immediately released.
Commenting on the incident, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman said in a social media statement, “Incidents like this are all too common in an area with high bear populations.”
“I pray for the hikers’ full recovery and encourage all visitors to closely follow the park’s recommendations regarding wildlife,” she said.
According to the Associated Press, Yellowstone receives more than 4 million tourists annually and attacks by grizzlies or black bears are rare.
