Officials say hiker mauled by grizzly and left for dead in Grand Teton National Park; Bear is not pursued

A grizzly bear who accidentally hit himself with pepper spray Attack on a hiker in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming will not be captured or killed because it may have tried to protect a cub, park officials said in a statement.

As the grizzly mauled a hiker on Signal Mountain, it bit into the man’s can of bear repellent and was hit by a barrage of it, causing the animal to flee. The 35-year-old Massachusetts man who pretended to be dead while being bitten made it to safety and spent Sunday night in the hospital.

There was no information on when Signal Mountain or a road and trail to its 7,000-foot (2,300-meter) summit would reopen after being closed because of the attack. Such closures are typical each year following the few grizzly attacks on public lands in the Yellowstone region.

The decision not to pursue the bears, even though officials determined they were behaving naturally after the surprise attack, was also consistent with attacks that do not involve raids on campsites, eating food scraps or similar behaviors that make bears more dangerous.

Rangers track and study many of the approximately 1,000 bears in the Yellowstone region but were not familiar with those responsible for the attack Sunday afternoon, the statement said.

The attack occurred even though the victim was carrying bear repellent spray and making noise to warn the bears in the forest, the statement said.

While speaking to rangers, the man said he came across a small bear running away from him. As he reached for his bear repellent, out of the corner of his eye he saw a larger bear charging towards him.

He didn’t have time to use his bear spray before he fell to the ground with his fingers folded behind his neck, one finger holding the spray can.

The bear bit him several times before biting the pepper spray can, which burst and drove the bears away.

The man reached an area with cell phone reception and called for help. A helicopter and then an ambulance took him to a nearby hospital.

From the man’s description, investigators conclude that the smaller bear he saw was an older cub of the attacking grizzly bear. Mother bears aggressively defend their offspring and stay with them for two to three years after birth.

Park officials did not release the victim’s name. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Current grizzly attacks

The attack in Grand Teton National Park came just days after a man was killed in Canada suffered “significant injuries” after he was attacked by a grizzly bear while hunting with his father.

Last fall a Canadian The couple and their dog were killed of a grizzly bear while backpacking in Banff National Park. Just a few weeks earlier, a hunter in Montana seriously injured by a grizzly bear.

Last July, a grizzly bear fatally assaulted a woman on a forest trail west of Yellowstone National Park. The bear was later euthanized after breaking into a home near West Yellowstone in August.

This month there was also a 21-year-old woman planting trees seriously injured by a bear in British Columbia. Canadian officials were unable to find the animal but believe it was a grizzly bear that attacked the woman.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, grizzly bears are considered an endangered species in the 48 contiguous states.

Last month, the US National Park Service announced it would launch a campaign to trap grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park for research purposes. The agency urged the public to avoid areas with traps because they are clearly marked