Fatal mauling ruled ‘defensive’

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. – A grizzly bear that mauled a 57-year-old hiker to death in Yellowstone National Park was defending its cubs and had not threatened humans before. Park officials on Thursday decided to leave it alone to wander the backcountry.

The mauling – the park’s first in 25 years – temporarily closed one of the park’s top attractions, the south rim of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, on one of the busiest days of the year. Some tourists were left to wonder what was going on.

“It was not predatory and so we see no reason to take action against the bear,” said Kerry Gunther, bear management biologist for Yellowstone.

The attack also highlighted the potential dangers, however rare, that face tourists who come in record numbers each year to a park known for its burgeoning bear population and the Old Faithful geyser.

Whenever there is a run-in or attack involving bears, park officials must decide whether the attack was defensive or an act of aggression. In Wednesday’s mauling, they based their conclusion on the account of the hiker’s wife, as well as their knowledge of bear behavior.

Brian and Marylyn Matayoshi, of Torrance, Calif., were hiking in a backcountry meadow along a trail a mile and a half from the trailhead when they spotted the bear foraging about 100 yards away. The couple immediately turned and began walking away, officials said.

The grizzly charged and attacked Brian Matayoshi, then went for his wife, who ran for cover behind a tree. The grizzly lifted her off the ground by the day pack she was wearing and then dropped her.

She tried to call 911 on her cellphone, but couldn’t get a signal. Other hikers responded to her cries for help and got through to emergency officials.

Marylyn Matayoshi told rescuers that the couple surprised the sow, its cubs nearby – one of the most dangerous situations possible for humans encountering grizzlies. Park officials believe the grizzly had two 6-month-old cubs, based on previous sightings and cub tracks where the attack occurred.

“All indications are that this was a defensive attack,” park spokesman Al Nash said. “In such cases, the park’s policy is to leave the bear in the backcountry.”

The bear had never been documented before, never been tagged, and there was no reason to believe it had interacted with humans before, Nash said.

Marylyn Matayoshi escaped injury and was no longer at the park, and officials declined to reveal her whereabouts.