WEST GLACIER – A grizzly bear has been put down at Glacier National Park after apparently falling onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Glacier National Park spokeswoman Lauren Alley says that rangers discovered a partially paralyzed grizzly bear that had apparently fallen about 20 feet onto the road near Rim Rock at around 11:30 p.m. on July 15th .
The bear had sustained severe traumatic injuries and Alley says in a news release that after consulting with the park’s wildlife biologist rangers the animal was euthanized.
A National Park Service necropsy showed significant trauma to the animal’s thoracic vertebrae, broken ribs, and a dislocated hip. The female bear was estimated to be five-to-seven years old and appeared to be in otherwise good health, according to Alley.
There are an estimated 300 grizzly bears in Glacier National Park.