Yellowstone Park Ranger Hazes Grizzly Bear With Pyrotechnic Shotgun Round
Yellowstone Bear Management was hard at work over the weekend keeping a curious grizzly away from a dead bison as it was removed from the side of the road using a front-end loader and a large pickup truck.
A crowd of tourists had gathered at the scene where Yellowstone Nation Park staff were in the process of removing the carcass when a grizzly bear emerged from a wooded ridgeline and began running down the hill towards the road. An alert member of Yellowstone’s Bear Management team saw the incoming bear and responded by unshouldering her 12-gauge shotgun and firing of a special type of ammunition in its direction.
The non-lethal rounds, known as cracker shells or bear bangers, are small pyrotechnic rounds designed to travel a short distance before detonating in a loud (130-decibel crack) and flash meant to frighten the animal away without causing injury.
The woman filming the scene was surprised how quiet the round was at it left the barrel commenting “that was gentle” and gave an audible “awww” when the round exploded delivering the deafening boom and bright flash designed to trigger the bear’s natural flight instinct.
Foraging bears are attracted to Yellowstone National Park roadways to eat roadkill and park staff will often remove large mammal carcasses from high-use areas to reduce bear-human conflicts. If you should come across a roadside bear jam at Yellowstone make sure to use pullouts to watch wildlife in an orderly fashion and leave enough room to let other cars pass. Learn more about grizzly safety at Yellowstone National Park below.
Yellowstone National Park Grizzly Safety Guidelines:
- Give bears space. Keep at least 100 yards (93 meters) from bears at all times and never approach a bear to take a photo.
- Carry bear spray and know how to use it. We recommend each person carry one can of bear spray in a readily accessible location like a quick-draw holster (not stowed away in your backpack).
- Hike in groups and make noise. Since 1970, 91% of the people injured by bears in Yellowstone were hiking alone or with only one hiking partner. Only 9% of the people injured by bears were in groups of three or more people. While hiking on a trail, periodically yell “Hey bear!” to alert bears of your presence. Learn more about backcountry safety.
- Respect closures. Do not travel in areas closed for bear management.
- Never feed bears. Bears that become dependent on human food may become aggressive toward people and will be killed.
- Stay with your stuff. Do not leave packs or bags containing food unattended, even for a few minutes, as bears learn new food sources quickly.
- If a bear approaches or touches your car, honk your horn and drive away. We want to discourage this behavior for the bears’ safety and yours.
- Help us spread the word! Share posters from our “A Bear Doesn’t Care” campaign.
If you’re involved in a conflict with a bear, regardless of how minor, contact us or report it to a park ranger as soon as possible. If cell service is available, dial 911. The lives of other people, and the bear, may depend on it.
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