UPDATE: Kansas Woman Identified As Victim Of Fatal Grizzly Mauling Outside Yellowstone
A woman was found dead on Saturday on a trail near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana — a victim of an apparent grizzly bear attack.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department on Sunday said the body was discovered on the Buttermilk Trail and grizzly tracks were found nearby.
If confirmed that a bear was responsible for the fatality, it will be the second fatal bear attack on a human in the continental U.S. this year.
Last month a 66-year-old man was killed by a black bear in Arizona when it attacked the man and dragged him 75-feet down an embankment.
Buttermilk
The Custer Gallatin National Forest closed the Buttermilk area, about 8 miles west of West Yellowstone, for safety.
The area of the closure follows the Continental Divide Trail from the trailhead near Targhee Pass on Highway 20, northeast of Howard Spring.
From there, the closure boundary goes south to Cream Creek Road. The area closure follows these roads to the east and north, back to the Forest Service boundary just south of Highway 20, and to the west to connect with the Continental Divide Trail.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
