A motorist possibly driving too fast for conditions hit at black bear at Glacier National Park that had to be put down due to its injuries/NPS file
A black bear injured by a hit-and-run motorist had to be put down at Glacier National Park in Montana due to its injuries.
Park staff say that last Thursday afternoon the injured bear was found along Going-to-the-Sun Road two miles east of Rising Sun. It had suffered traumatic injuries from contact with a vehicle at approximately 1:40 p.m. that day. Rangers, after consulting with the park’s wildlife biologist, euthanized the bear.
A field necropsy revealed a severely broken jaw, an injured foreleg, and a potentially damaged ribcage and lung area, a park release said. The male bear was estimated to be 2.5-5 years old and appeared to be in otherwise good health.
The visitor who hit the bear did not report the incident, so the circumstances of the collision are unknown, the release added. The location of the incident was in an area with vegetation close to the road, which could have obscured the bear’s movement onto the road and may have played a role.
While traveling in the park, it is important to remember that all roadways traverse wildlife habitat and speed limits should be observed for the safety of not only people, but wildlife as well.
Slower speeds allow drivers more time to react to the movements of wildlife that may be obscured from immediate view. If you have a motor vehicle incident in the park, report it to the nearest ranger or visitor center to prevent further harm to other visitors who could happen upon the animal along the roadway or other wildlife who may come to scavenge on the carcass.
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Comments
when I was last in your park I watched a mama bear come up to the roadway and patiently wait until traffic had stopped in both directions ... she then brought out two cubs and escorted them across ... she was awsome and had more car brains than my dog ...
We passed this poor bear while traveling on "The going to the sun road" for the first time. The posted speed limit was 25 MPH, so who ever hit this beer was traveling well above the speed limit. We were hoping the bears injuries were not as severe when we passed by him.