Bison Population Soars in Yellowstone

The bison population in Yellowstone National Park continues to rebound after a massive die-off in the herd two winters ago.  More than 1,600 Yellowstone bison were killed in 2008 as they attempted to migrate to lower elevations in Montana in search of food.

The summer 2009 population show 3,300 bison, including 2,800 adult and yearling bison and 500 calves.  That’s up from a total of 2,900 bison at the end of last winter.

Animal control official capture and slaughter bison who leave Yellowstone park to prevent the spread of the disease brucellosis, which can cause pregnant animals to miscarry.  Unchecked, the disease can be devastating to the cattle industry.

Story at FoxNews

Two Bears Killed in Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park officials had to kill a 17-year-old grizzly bear that kept returning to the Oldman Lake Campground.  One of the bear’s two cubs died when it was tranquilized.

Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright says the death of the yearling cub was an accident and will be reviewed.  Officials safely captured the other cub and will ship it to the Bronx Zoo.  That’s better than death, but probably not by much.

Story at KXMC

Bison Attacks Tourist at Yellowstone National Park

For the second time this year, a bison attacked a tourist at Yellowstone National Park.  On Wednesday around 11:30am, a 55-year-old California man was taking pictures of a bull bison that had wandered into the Bridge Bay Campgrounds.  The two were about 10 feet apart when the bison charged.

The man sustained a “puncture wound” to his upper thigh.  He was treated at Lake Clinic then transported to St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, Wyoming.  His injuries are not life threatening.

Earlier this summer, a bison tossed a 50-year-old woman from Spain into the air.  She was talking on a pay phone at the time.

Bull bison can stand six feet tall, weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and run up to 30 miles an hour.  Bison can and will attack humans at any time, with or without provocation.  Bison are especially dangerous during the next few weeks because it’s their mating season.  Park regulations require that visitors remain at least 25 yards away from most animals, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.  Tourists who violate this rule can face a citation and fine, or of course an animal attack.

Story at Local News 8
Big Bone Lick State Park – Home of the Bison

Grizzly Bear Attacks Jogger in Glacier National Park

A grizzly bear attacked and injured a trail jogger in Glacier National Park on Sunday morning. 

Thomas Nerison, 60, of Kalispell, Montana, was jogging on the Lake McDonald Valley Trail when he heard what he described as the sound of a dog barking and then galloping horses coming up the trail behind him.  Nerison turned around and stepped off the trail when he saw two grizzly bears running toward him. 

Nerison believed the bears were running from something that startled them, and one of the bears stopped next to him and knocked him off his feet.  Nerison fell to the ground, and the bear bit him twice.  Nerison fought back by kicking the bear and poking it with sticks.  Eventually the bear lost interest and returned to where it had come from up the trail.

The injured jogger drove himself to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center’s Emergency Room for medical treatment.  He told the ranger that he normally carries bear spray, but didn’t this time.

“Make no mistake, bears are active,” said Park Superintendent Chas Cartwrigtht.  “All park visitors should be alert while bicycling or simply walking and/or driving along park roads.  Running along trails is discouraged because of the potential of surprising a bear.  A runner alone on a trail can inadvertently startle or frighten a bear (or mountain lion), causing it to react in a defensive or aggressive manner.  Females with cubs are particularly dangerous when they venture from their dens with newborns in the spring.”

Story at NPS.gov
Wildlife Photos from Glacier NP

Rangers Kill Black Bear in Glacier National Park

Rangers trying to haze a black bear from the St. Mary area on the east side of Glacier National Park accidentally killed the bear last week.  The rangers were trying to prevent the bear from becoming habituated to people.  They attempted to scare it away with a “cracker shell,” which is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun and makes a loud bang when it explodes seconds later.  However, during a follow-up the next day, a ranger found the bear dead.

A necropsy — an autopsy for animals — determined the cracker shell entered the bear’s body before exploding.  Park officials plan to conduct a Board of Review to recommend management actions and improve strategies and tactics.

In 2006, a grizzly bear in the park died after being snared as part of a research project.  And in 2007, park rangers destroyed a black bear after it chased a family to their car.

Story at Great Falls Tribune
Glacier National Park Photo Tour

Yellowstone Officials Kill Problem Wolf

Yellowstone National Park wildlife officials have killed a wolf that chased people on bicycles and motorcycles on several occasions.  The yearling male killed Tuesday was the first wolf killed deliberately since wolves were reintroduced in Yellowstone Park in 1995-6.  Previous attempts to drive it away from park facilities were unsuccessful.

Wildlife officials said the wolf had lost its fear of people, showing up in the Old Faithful area frequently, and posed a safety risk to park visitors.  Officials said the wolf was probably fed by people.

Story at the Salt Lake Tribune

Wolf Pack Moves to Yellowstone’s Headquarters

A pack of wolves conditioned to humans has taken up residence near Yellowstone National Park’s headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming.

Park wolf biologist Doug Smith said the three black males and one gray female have denned just a quarter-mile east of the community.  There are daily sightings of the three males, and Smith said he believes the female has given birth to pups.  The den site has been posted as off-limits to the public.

Story at Salt Lake Tribune

Smoky Mountains Closes All Caves to Protect Bats

In response to a new disease that has killed over 400,000 bats in the Northeast U.S., officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park have closed all of its caves to public entry until further notice.

According to biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a condition called White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is taking a heavy toll on bats that hibernate in caves and mines in nine states from Virginia north to New Hampshire.  WNS is named for a white fungus that appears on the noses of bats.

The disease causes bats to emerge from hibernation early and underweight so that they starve before the insects on which they feed emerge in the spring.  Once a bat colony is infected with the fungus, the disease spreads rapidly and can kill up to 90% of the bats within that cave in one season.

Story at NPS.gov

Acadia National Park Closes Trails to Protect Falcons

Officials at Acadia National Park have closed hiking trails on and around the Precipice Cliff to protect peregrine falcons that have been showing pre-nesting behavior.  The closure of the popular Precipice Trail on the side of Champlain Mountain is expected to last until late July or early August.  That’s about five weeks after the newborn peregrine chicks are expected to take their first flights.  If the birds’ nesting attempt fails, the trail could open sooner.

Acadia National Park was selected in the 1980s to be one of the reintroduction sites for a peregrine falcon recovery program. Since 1991, more than 80 chicks have fledged on Mount Desert Island.  The bird is listed as a Maine endangered species.

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Interview with Yosemite’s “Bear Boss”

Ryan M. Leahy is the Lead Bear Technician at California’s Yosemite National Park.  As such, it is his job to manage the balance between a healthy bear population and human safety.  Earlier this winter, amid unusually high temperatures in the Yosemite Valley, Discovery News correspondent Eric Bland sat down with Leahy to talk about the wonders of hibernation and the perils of incautious park visitors.

Discovery News: Are the temperatures this winter affecting the bears at all, or are they hibernating comfortably?

Ryan Leahy: With such warm temperatures, a number of bears never went into hibernation.  Some of the bears have been active, but we haven’t had too many issues.

DN: Why are the bears waking up?

Leahy: Winter dormancy for black bears is dependent on food availability and not much else.  Right now the ground is uncovered, and there are still a lot of live oak acorns that are a good food source for the bears, so they can continue to forage here in the Valley.

Read the interview at Discovery News