Park Ranger Confronts Grizzlies Threatening Students Glacier, Yellowstone

Recent reports from multiple national parks emphasize the importance of maintaining a safe distance from bears to protect both visitors and wildlife. Yellowstone National Park, home to both black and grizzly bears, enforces a minimum distance of 25 yards from all animals and 100 yards from bears and wolves, cautioning against close encounters that can provoke dangerous situations. Similarly, Glacier National Park, which has about 300 grizzly bears, advises hiking in groups, making noise, and being prepared with bear spray; a recent incident involving a ranger successfully deterring a grizzly from a group of students highlights the effectiveness of these precautions. In Montana, wildlife officials shared video demonstrating that bears can run up to 35 miles per hour, reinforcing that outrunning a bear is impossible and that prevention of encounters is crucial. Incidents outside the major parks, such as a large black bear sighting on a popular trail in Claremont, California, and a man teasing a black bear in Tennessee, underline the ongoing risk and need for public awareness about bear behavior and safety. Overall, experts recommend using telephoto lenses for wildlife viewing, traveling in groups, making noise, and carrying bear spray to reduce the likelihood of dangerous bear encounters.