Grizzly bear kills man in Yellowstone national park

Wildlife rangers are trying to capture a grizzly bear in Yellowstone after it killed a hiker in the second fatal bear attack this summer at the national park.

The body of John Wallace, 59, was discovered on Friday in a remote area known for its high population of bears. An autopsy concluded he died from injuries sustained in a bear attack.

After a fatal mauling last month – the first inside the increasingly crowded park in 25 years – authorities let the responsible grizzly go because it was protecting its cubs.

This time, rangers have set traps with the intent to capture and kill the bear that attacked Wallace. Its guilt would be established through DNA analysis connecting it to evidence found at the mauling scene, park officials said.

"We know of no witnesses to the attack," park superintendent Dan Wenk said on Monday. "We're going to err on the safe side of caution since we'll never really know the circumstances in this case."

The bear that killed Wallace is believed to be a different animal than the one in the July killing.

The earlier mauling occurred about eight miles away from where Wallace's body was found. In that instance, a female bear with cubs attacked a couple from California, killing the man before fleeing.

There were no signs of cubs in the area where Wallace was killed.

Wallace had entered the park alone last Wednesday and pitched a tent in a developed campground, Wenk said.

Authorities said he was probably killed on Wednesday or Thursday during a solo hike along the Mary Mountain Trail. The trail is closed from March to June because it passes through an area frequented by grizzlies feeding on the carcasses of bison that died over the winter.

There are more than 600 bears in the greater Yellowstone area.

Conflicts between humans and grizzlies have been slowly increasing in Yellowstone and surrounding areas in recent years as the bear population recovered from near-extinction last century. Most interactions are relatively benign, such as raids on orchards or rubbish bins.

Yet Wallace's death was the fourth caused by grizzlies in the greater Yellowstone area in the last two years.

Despite the killings, park officials said the rate of dangerous encounters is extremely low given that more than 3 million people visit the park every year.

"We've averaged one encounter that has caused injuries a year for the past 25 years," Wenk said. "The record speaks for itself."