Woman found dead near Yellowstone National Park after ‘bear encounter’

A woman was found dead on a trail in Montana near Yellowstone National Park after an “apparent bear encounter” on Sunday, according to state wildlife officials.

The woman’s body was discovered on the Buttermilk Trail west of West Yellowstone —  a small town in the Custer Gallatin National Forest just west of the national park, The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said in a statement.

Officials said that grizzly bear tracks were found at the scene and the investigation into the reported attack is ongoing.

The department said the woman’s death appeared to have followed an interaction with the bear, though it did not confirm her cause of death.

Rangers issued an emergency closure of the popular hiking area where the victim was found.

The attack comes amid a rise in Montana’s grizzly bear population and an increase in sightings.

Last week the department warned visitors about numerous sightings in the region, “particularly in areas between the Northern Continental Divide and the Great Yellowstone ecosystems.”

Officials ask that visitors carry and know how to use bear spray, and urged them to travel in groups and to avoid animal carcasses if spotted.

Earlier this month a woman was gored in the chest by a bison while vacationing in Yellowstone National Park. Her boyfriend later proposed to her in the hospital.

With Post Wires