Downed Power Line Electrocutes Grizzles

Three grizzly bears were killed after touching a downed power line in the Hayden Valley area of Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

The bears appeared to have died on separate days during the past two weeks, but their bodies were not discovered until Monday.

Park rangers and Montana Power Co. personnel who visited the site Tuesday said the bears - a young male weighing 200-250 pounds, a 260-pound adult male and a 350-pound adult male - had been electrocuted.

Montana Power found that a tree had fallen onto the power line, stretching it to within 2 feet of the ground. The line did not break and there was no disruption in power, so the power company was not aware the line was near the ground.