Yellowstone Traps Bear Believed to Have Killed Hiker

Yellowstone biologists have caught a female grizzly near the site where an experienced hiker was mauled to death last week. If tests confirms she's the one, the bear will be killed, reports the Billings Gazette. Authorities are still looking for a cub believed to have been with her during the attack, and the cub would be killed or sent to a zoo or some other facility if caught. The victim has been identified as 63-year-old Lance Crosby of Billings, Montana, who knew the park well, having worked in its medical clinics as a nurse for five years. He was walking alone, without bear spray, and his body was found about a half-mile from the nearest trail, reports AP.

That suggests he was ignoring park guidelines on all three counts, but authorities say the attack occurred so close to a well-traveled area that they have no choice but to kill the bear. "At this point in time, I have no knowledge that it could have been avoided," says Yellowstone superintendent Dave Wenk. "He was in an area that's frequently used, a popular area that people went to. It's not like he was bushwhacking through the forest." (More grizzly bear stories.)