I'm a little put out with the opening of this article..." A killer grizzley bear is roaming..." Yes the bear did kill the poor hiker, but unless the man was taunting the bear, and there is no indication he was, this was a tragic accident. A case of wrong place wrong time. The mama bear was simply doing what she is programmed to do, defend her cubs from all threats.

my heart goes out to the family of the hiker who was killed. this has to be a terrible time for them. except for casey anthony and a few others like her, most mothers are hard wired to protect their young by any means necessary. "any means" for mama grizzlies means size,strength, tooth and claw. the bear was only doing her job. when you take it upon yourself to go into the wilderness, only a fool would go without adequate protection. wild animals are wild.

i should also add its easy to use, most tourists won't have much experience with firearms and wouldn't be able to use them effectively in that situation, that also go's for a lot of the people saying that they should use a gun, it takes nerves of steel and years of experience to be able to hold the gun steady and make an accurate kill shot on a charging grizz, add to that the fact that it has statistically taken on average 4 shots to bring down the bear in the attacks in this study. Bear spray is just a better choice for your average tourist.

I saw this morning that momma grizzly bear will be left alone, as she should be. Thats the risk we take in the wilderness when we are unprepared for whats out there. Prayers to the family.

This is very sad...and scary. A couple of years ago we were staying at the Old Faithful Inn and met a guy that was hiking with his kids and ran into a mama grizzly with cubs. He luckily made it out OK but was clearly shaken (and lucky).

Hopefully this doesn't deter people from enjoying the beautiful backcountry. Bear spray is a must in grizzly country...we didn't have it when we were there but that wont happen again.

It is an unfortunate accident and we grieve for the family. You and I can make choices on what risk we will take. Parasailing, you can drown, bungee jumping you can die from the fall, walking through a marsh and you can get bit by a moccasin, hike in Colorado, rattlesnakes can bite. The bear didnt have a choice, she reacted instintively.

"A killer grizzly is roaming Yellowstone National Park’s backcountry after mauling a man who apparently surprised the female bear and its cubs while hiking with his wife"

I'm sorry for the guy and his wife, but the way that this article was started is ridiculous! She thought the man was a threat to her cubs! Any human mother would protect her children. She did the same. He could have provoked her. I just find it really ignorant that the Washington Post would start their article that way.

people and bears don't mix well, one or the other should go,but,if people are going to be allowed to hike in the park.they should have to show park staff that they have pepper spray or a hand gun of a large caliber,

btw. if a mama grizzly will fight to the death with a fully adult male grizzly to protect her babies, what good do you think your puny "bear spray" will do you? i've seen men fight through the effects of cs gas to defeat their opponent. an enraged grizzly bear? you'd have to be twice a fool to think of bear spray as an effective deterrent.

I hear that the hiking couple had already spotted mama and cubs earlier on. That's your cue to get the heck out of Dodge. As in completely avoid their vicinity. It's not a zoo, park wildlife isn't tame. Apparently they didn't get the message.

Almost all bear problems can be avoided with a little common sense and a very basic knowledge of bear behavior.

I must admit that sometimes you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it's nobody's fault. I survived a 20 yard encounter with a grizzly and her cub with nothing but a guttural 'woof' of warning. They were headed our way from a distance that they closed quickly and there was nowhere to go. We were fortunate - she was especially surly, as she had just lost cub #2 to wolves a week or so beforehand.

A man hiking with his wife was slaughtered Wed in Yellowstone Park. He was mauled to death by a bear. Park officials said the bear won't be trapped or slaughtered. The death has caused concerns about tourism in the park. I read this here: Man killed by grizzly bear in Yellowstone Park