Bear Tied to Two Mauling Locations
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee has issued the National Park Service investigative report pertaining to the fatal bear attack on a Michigan man in Yellowstone National Park last August. The conclusion of the investigation conclusively ties a female grizzly bear, #693, to the scene of the fatal attack on 59-year-old John Wallace along the Mary Mountain Trail near Canyon on August 25th. The investigation also indicates that a male cub was also present at the time of the attack. However, the evidence does not conclusively indicate whether it was #693 who killed Wallace nor what precipitated the attack. Furthermore, DNA samples tie the #693 to the fatal attack on 57-year-old Brian Matayoshi July 6 along Wapiti Lake Trail which is also near Canyon. The male cub was determined to have been present at that attack as well. Meanwhile, evidence detailed in the report indicates that as many as nine other bears that had been in that vicinity around the time of the Wallace attack were not involved in the mauling. Those bears had been feeding on two bison carcasses in the area, including one carcass which was located 150 yards from trail where Mr. Wallace was hiking alone. Bear #693 was euthanized October second and her two cubs taken to the Grizzly and Wolf Discover Center in West Yellowstone, Montana to reside.
