A woman was killed in an attack by grizzly bears close to Yellowstone National Park, less than a week since officials warned of the possibility that the animals have been observed in areas that typically don’t appear.

The body of the female victim, who hasn’t been identified, was found in the early morning of July 22 along the Buttermilk Trail. This popular route runs west from Yellowstone within the Gallatin National Forest, Montana. Investigators have discovered the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) ways throughout the area, suggesting there was a possibility of a fatal bear strike cau. But investigations are being conducted, officials of MFWP’s Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) department posted on Facebook.

The area surrounding the trail has been shut off to visitors until the park authorities have completed their investigation. In everyday situations such as this, the park rangers attempt to eliminate the bear responsible if they can locate it before reopening the trail.

On July 17, 17, officials disclosed that grizzly bears had been “sighted in several places where grizzlies haven’t been seen in recent years, and in some cases more than a century.” This includes parts of The Elkhorn Mountains, the Pryor Mountains, Helena, the state’s capital city, and other areas within the greater Yellowstone region.

The unusual sightings of grizzly bears are probably related to their expanding number in Montana. Due to a successful rehabilitation program, the state currently has a population of 22,000 grizzly bears. That ranks second to Alaska and four times higher than nearby Wyoming, according to the MFWP.

The increase in grizzlies has also sparked controversy over whether humans should be permitted to hunt bears in the area. Proponents argue that the number of bears is enough to support hunting. Opponents say that hunting was among the main factors driving the population’s decline in the early 20th century.

On July 2, 20, a second female was murdered by a grizzly close to Ovando, Montana, after the bear kept entering the camp, perhaps seeking food. In April of the same year, one man was fatally injured by a grizzly fishing close to Yellowstone, USA Today said in the year. In March 2022, a grizzly attacked the body of a man in Yellowstone National Park while hiking in the Six Mile Creek area. Before the recent incident, the last fatal grizzly assault within the state was in 2016.

MFWP has warned anyone visiting the rural areas of the state to stay “bear aware,” by carrying bear spray, traveling in groups, staying clear of dead animals, searching for footprints, and making a lot of loud noises in locations where bears could be unable to discern them approaching, and most important, avoid coming close to an animal.