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A self-inflicted blast of pepper spray scares away an attacking grizzly in Grand Teton National Park – 104.5 WOKV

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A grizzly bear that accidentally pepper-sprayed itself while attacking a hiker in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming will not be captured or killed because it may have been trying to protect a cub, park officials said in a statement.

As the grizzly mauled a hiker on Signal Mountain, it bit into the man’s can of bear repellent and was hit by a volley of it, causing the animal to flee. The 35-year-old Massachusetts man who pretended to be dead while being bitten made it to safety and spent Sunday night in the hospital.

There was no information on when Signal Mountain or a road and trail to its 7,500-foot (2,300-meter) summit would reopen after being closed because of the attack. Such closures are typical each year following the few grizzly attacks on public lands in the Yellowstone region.

The decision not to pursue the bears, as officials found they were behaving naturally after being surprised, was also consistent with attacks that did not involve raids on campsites, eating food left behind by humans or similar behaviors that make bears more dangerous.

Rangers track and study many of the roughly 1,000 bears in the Yellowstone region, but do not know the bears responsible for Sunday afternoon’s attack, the statement said.

The attack occurred even though the victim was carrying bear repellent spray and making noise to warn the bears in the forest, the statement said.

In subsequent conversation with rangers, the man said he encountered a small bear that ran away from him. As he reached for his bear repellent, he saw a larger bear charging toward him in his field of vision.

He didn’t have time to use his bear spray before he fell to the ground with his fingers clasped behind his neck, one finger holding the spray can.

The bear bit him several times before biting into the pepper spray can, which burst and scared the bears away.

The man reached an area with cell service and called for help. A helicopter and then an ambulance evacuated him to a nearby hospital.

From the man’s description, investigators conclude that the smaller bear he saw was an older cub of the female grizzly bear that had attacked. Mother bears aggressively defend their young and stay with them for two to three years after birth.

Park officials did not release the victim’s name. He is expected to make a full recovery.

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