A grizzly bear attacked a hunter in Cody, Wyoming, on Oct. 2. The elk hunter and his hunting partner had a “sudden encounter” with the female bear and her two cubs, according to a statement from state and federal wildlife agencies. Out of defense, the hunter shot and killed the female grizzly after sustaining injuries himself.
“It was an unprovoked attack,” said Dan Smith, Cody regional wildlife supervisor for Wyoming Game and Fish, as reported by the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “There was nothing that indicates the hunters had done anything that would provoke an attack.”
According to Smith, the mauling resulted in the first human injury from a grizzly encounter in Wyoming this year. The extent of the hunter’s injuries have not been revealed, but they are not life-threatening.