Yellowstone National Park has released 170 pages of findings about an August 2015 grizzly bear attack that left a man dead in the park. The bear was also euthanized.
The group found that the victim, Lance Crosby, 63, had been out hiking alone, was not likely jogging at the time of the incident (which sometimes triggers a response from bears) and that he was not taking a photograph at the time of the incident.
The report gave details of what responders found when they located the bear that killed Crosby.
“As the team approached the body cache site, a bear cub or cubs barked/bawled three to four times and an adult bear with a light brown rump and dark brown legs was observed running away from the burial cache,” the report stated. “The victim was found face down on his stomach with his left arm under his chest and his left leg crossed over the calf of his right leg. The body had been covered with dirt, duff, rocks, grass, sticks and pine needles typical of the manner in which grizzly bears, black bears, and mountain lions cache animal carcasses for further scavenging.”
The board re-iterated in its findings that people should not hike alone, though people regularly ignore that recommendation.
“In a recent survey of 7,770 people day-hiking in 2,669 groups in Yellowstone National Park, 60 percent of the hiking groups had fewer than the recommended party size of three people for hiking in bear country, and 14 percent hiked alone,” investigators said.
Bear spray also helps deter the carnivores.
Four of five hiker deaths in the park since 2010 involved solo hikers who weren’t packing bear spray.
The board recommended the following to avoid Crosby’s fate:
1. Be vigilant.
2. Carry bear spray.
3. Make noise.
4. Don’t run.
5. Don’t hike alone.
The full reports can be found here:
The Board of Review report is available online through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/Crosby%20BOR%20report%20final.pdf
The recommendations of the board of review are available at http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/es/Crosby%20BOR%20recommendations%20final.pdf
The complete National Park Service Investigative Report covering this incident has also been released.It is available online at http://go.nps.gov/crosby
