ISLAND PARK — A grizzly bear reportedly attacked a person running near Island Park Friday morning.
Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries confirmed with EastIdahoNews.com the attack happened near a trail off Stamp Meadow Road. The 41-year-old Maryland man made it back to the cabin he was staying at and called 911 around 7:30 a.m.
“The person attacked received a couple of puncture wounds but refused medical treatment (from an ambulance),” Humphries said.
Idaho Fish and Game says the man's injuries were not life-threatening and he was treated at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg. Friday’s attack is the first known bear attack in Fremont County in 2021, according to Humphries.
The area has been closed as a precaution. IDFG and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office are continuing to investigate the incident.
Just this week, a grizzly bear attacked and killed a cyclist camping in western Montana. The Associated Press reports the attack happened early Tuesday morning when the bear dragged Leah Davis Lokan, 65, of Chico, California, out of her tent and mauled her.
“Grizzly bears have run into increasing conflict with humans in the Northern Rockies over the past decade as the federally protected animals expanded into new areas and the number of people living and recreating in the region grew,” according to the AP. “That has spurred calls from elected officials in Montana and neighboring Wyoming and Idaho to lift protections so the animals could be hunted.”
The National Park Service reports around 728 grizzly bears live in the Greater Yellowstone Area as of 2019. The area spans around 20,522 square miles of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.
This article was written by partially written Eric Grossarth of East Idaho News.
