The hiker killed by a grizzly bear Wednesday morning in Yellowstone National Park has been identified as Brian Matayoshi, a 57-year-old from Torrance, Calif.
He had been with his wife on the Wapiti Lake Trail when the mauling incident occurred. Marylyn Matayoshi also was attacked briefly, but not seriously injured, after the attack on her husband.
The incident marked the first bear-caused fatality inside the Wyoming wilderness park since 1986.
According to a park news release, the couple had been hiking toward their vehicle at about 11 a.m., about 1.5 miles from the trailhead. The husband and wife spotted a bear about 100 yards away and turned to walk in the opposite direction. That's when the bear started running toward them.
The couple began to run and the bear quickly caught up, first attacking the husband and then chomping onto the daypack worn by the wife, lifting her briefly. She fell to the ground and remained still, and the bear wandered off.
She shouted for help and and nearby hikers used a cellphone to place an emergency call, to which rangers who were on backcountry patrol responded.
Brian Matayoshi suffered multiple wounds and was dead when rangers arrived, at about 11:30 a.m. The female bear was presumed to have been acting in defense of her cubs, according to a preliminary investigation, and does not appear to have a prior history of aggression toward humans.
Though the case will be reviewed, typically the park does not trap, relocate or kill a bear under these circumstances.
The Wapiti Lake Trail and nearby trails are expected to be closed for several days. Visitors to the park, are advised to hike in large numbers when possible, make noise in areas where bears might be surprised, and to carry bear pepper spray. The Matayoshis were not carrying bear spray.
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