Authorities found the remains of a woman west of Yellowstone National Park on Saturday after an apparent bear encounter.
The woman was found on the Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone, and it is believed she was killed during a bear encounter, according to a statement from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. The investigation into her death is ongoing, but surrounding areas, such as Custer Gallatin National Forest, issued an emergency closure of the Buttermilk area “for human safety.”
Bears are common across the U.S., particularly within the Yellowstone region. “In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded. People venturing into the outdoors should ‘Be Bear Aware,'” the statement continued. Visitors to the area are reminded to always carry and know how to use bear spray, to travel in groups, to avoid carcass sites, concentrations of ravens, and signs of bear activity and make noise.
Attacks by wild animals seem to have risen significantly in recent years. In May, a woman was nearly gored to death after trying to pet a bison in Yellowstone. A similar attack occurred in July in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota, where a woman suffered severe injuries after a bison encounter. (RELATED: Video Shows Woman Being Run Over By Moose)
Some folks haven’t even had to leave their homes to be under attack. One man in Florida heard something making a sound outside his front door and opened it to find an alligator. The creature leaped up and bit his thigh before the man knew what was happening.