(NEXSTAR) — A hiker is recovering after officials in Yellowstone National Park said he was attacked by a bear, prompting the closure of a popular trail in the park.
Tuesday afternoon, park officials said the 29-year-old man was hiking along the Turbid Lake Trail on Yellowstone’s east side, within the Pelican Valley Bear Management Area.
The man said he encountered a bear near Turbid Lake, and as he began to use his bear spray, “the bear made contact.”
In a press release, Yellowstone officials said the man suffered “significant but non-life-threatening injuries to his chest and left arm.” The man was able to walk out with park medics before being transported to an area clinic. From there, he was flown to a hospital.
An update on the man’s condition was not immediately available.
The Turbid Lake Trail remains closed as of Wednesday; park officials said bear management staff would be looking for any additional hikers on the trail.
It was also unclear what type of bear the man encountered. While he believed it was a black bear, rangers suspected that based on the location of the incident and the bear’s size and behavior, it may instead have been a grizzly bear. Both call Yellowstone home. Staff may attempt to confirm the species with DNA testing.
Unlike in other bear-and-human interactions, Yellowstone officials “will not be taking any management action against the bear,” further describing the bear’s behavior as “a defensive reaction … during a surprise encounter.”
Officials said this is the first incident of a bear injuring a person in Yellowstone since May 2021. However, in July, Yellowstone officials had to lethally remove a black bear after a series of “concerning incidents.”
Other visitors to Yellowstone have been injured after encounters with animals this year.
In May, a Florida man was gored by a bison. The same happened to a New Jersey man in June. In both cases, rangers say the men got too close to the animals.
Last summer, two people were reported to have been injured by bison in Yellowstone. There was only one reported in 2023.
The latter incident had a relatively happy ending, though. While the Arizona woman suffered fractured vertebrae and collapsed lungs after being gored, she later said “yes” to her boyfriend’s proposal at the hospital.
Also last summer, an Idaho man suffered minor injuries and was arrested on alcohol-related charges after allegedly kicking a bison at Yellowstone.
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