BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The killing of a Montana man by a Yellowstone National Park grizzly bear highlights the need for hikers in the region to travel in groups, carry Mace-like bear spray and take other precautions against attacks, investigators said Wednesday.
A 260-pound grizzly killed Lance Crosby, 63, in August as the Billings man hiked alone and off-trail in a popular area of the park known as Elephant Back Mountain.
Crosby’s body was partially-eaten and buried. The female bear later was captured and euthanized and its two cubs placed into an Ohio zoo.
The attack marked the sixth fatal grizzly bear mauling since 2010 in the Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
Five of the victims were hikers, including four who were alone, according to a multi-agency review board that investigated Crosby’s death. None of the hikers carried canisters of bear spray, which can stop a charging bear.