Large Grizzly Bear Shot Dead Near Yellowstone, Sparking Outrage

A large grizzly bear estimated to weigh around 500 pounds has reportedly been shot dead near Yellowstone National Park, sparking outrage in the local community.

Local residents first spotted the carcass of the male bear on Monday morning around 14 miles east of the park. The body was lying 20 to 40 yards to the side of a highway near Cody, Wyoming, KTVQ reported.

The Wyoming Game and Fish (WGF) Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said they are now investigating the incident as a potential case of poaching. However, authorities have released no further information about the case.

Grizzly bears are a subspecies of brown bears that today are found in a few isolated locations in the lower 48 states, including Yellowstone.

Males can weigh 200 to 700 pounds, with adults standing at about 3.5 feet at shoulder height. As of 2021, there were an estimated 1,063 grizzly bears in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

Grizzly bears within the ecosystem are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Violators of the law can be punished with fines and even jail time.

Deliberately killing a grizzly bear illegally or without just cause carries a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine and up to a year in prison. Any individual responsible may also have their hunting privileges revoked for life.

Rumors had spread on Monday that the grizzly bear in question had died after being struck by a car on the highway. Authorities have not yet publicly confirmed the cause of death with the investigation ongoing.

"No further details are available at this time because it is an ongoing investigation," a spokesperson for the WGF told Newsweek.

Amy Gerber, a retired schoolteacher and local photographer, said the bear had been shot. Gerber was driving along the highway when she saw the carcass, as well as WGF officials searching the area around it for evidence.

"My initial reaction was anger, outrage," Gerber told Newsweek. "Then, deep sadness. I knew when I saw the Wyoming Game and Fish guys out combing the hillside looking for 'something' that the bear wasn't hit by a car, which was what I had heard from a friend. There was no sign of a collision and this bear was big—it would have left pieces of car, fur and blood on the road."

"I know some of the Game and Fish guys. They are friends. I respect them and the work that they do," she said. "I was approached and asked if I had seen anything suspicious earlier that morning. I hadn't. I then asked the question, 'This bear wasn't hit by a car was it?' The answer was, 'No.' I then asked, 'Was it shot' and the answer was, 'Yes.'"

Gerber told the Cowboy State Daily that there was "no doubt" that the bear was shot, estimating that the animal weighed around 500 pounds.

The photographer said that the death of the grizzly bear has sparked anger in the local community.

Gerber said it is still unclear if the killing was an accident or the result of "deliberate, hateful poaching." And with the investigation yet to be concluded, it could be some time before the truth is revealed.

If the bear was shot, "I hope whoever did this is prosecuted to the maximum extent of the law," Gerber said.

People are legally allowed to kill grizzlies in Wyoming if there is a clear-cut justification that the individual was acting in self-defense. In such cases, the person must report the incident immediately.

But another local photographer, Julie Argyle, commented in a Facebook post Tuesday that there had been no reports of any self-defense killings in the area.

"If that is the case, then whoever did this did it just for fun," Argyle wrote in the post. "Once again, a beautiful animal that was doing nothing wrong was killed at the hands of humankind for no apparent reason."

Some speculated online that the bear could have been hit by a vehicle and then someone shot it afterward in a "mercy killing" to end its suffering. But Argyle wrote this scenario was unlikely and there is no evidence to support it.

"I believe in my heart, that if that were the case it would've been reported," Argyle added. "There are a lot of unknowns out there in regards to this and maybe there is someone who can tell the story as it actually happened."

Anyone who has information regarding the incident or was in the area and noticed something suspicious is being urged to contact Wyoming Game and Fish at (307) 777-4600.

In 2021, a dead grizzly bear had its head and paws removed from its body near Yellowstone National Park.

The dead animal was spotted on a patch of gravel on the edge of the Yellowstone River north of Gardiner, Montana, in June of that year and officials had planned to remove it from the area.

On June 10, 2021, the bear was still intact and officials were looking to transport the animal the next day either via boat or helicopter. But that night, someone—or a group of people—cut off the bear's head and paws.

It is not clear how the bear died but it is illegal to remove body parts from grizzly bears or possess them.

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Update 05/03/23, 12:41 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional information regarding a previous incident involving a grizzly bear death near Yellowstone National Park.

Update 05/05/23, 4:54 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include additional comments from Amy Gerber.