Yellowstone: Woman charged at by grizzly bear after approaching animal and its cubs

Rangers attempt to trace park visitor after rule prohibiting people from coming within 100 yards of grizzlies apparently broken

A woman was charged at by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park (darcie_addington/Instagram)

US park rangers have launched an investigation after a woman was filmed being charged at by a female grizzly bear protecting her two cubs.

Footage of the incident in Yellowstone National Park shows the animal briefly running towards the woman, who reportedly approached the bear in order to take a photo.

Rangers are attempting to trace her after she appeared to break a rule prohibiting visitors from coming within 100 yards of bears at all times.

In the clip, the woman can be heard saying “Oh my God, oh my God” as she calmly turns and walks away from the bear. The person filming says “I got that on video” and she replies “Me too”.

The US Park Rangers of Yellowstone National Park said they were investigating “an incident of a woman approaching wildlife at Roaring Mountain” in Wyoming.

In a statement, the rangers said: “On May 10, 2021 at approximately 4.45pm, an unidentified woman approached a female grizzly bear and her two cubs at the north end of the Roaring Mountain parking lot. The female grizzly charged the woman who turned and walked away from the bears.

“The unidentified woman is described as white, mid 30s, brown hair, and wearing black clothing.”

The rangers urged anyone with information to contact the National Park Service’s investigative branch.

Darcie Addington, who filmed the scene from her car, described the encounter as “Absolutely INSANE” in an Instagram post which included the seven-second clip.

On Friday, a grizzly attacked and injured a hiker in Yellowstone in what was the first incident of a bear injuring a person inside the park this year.

The 39-year-old man, who was hiking alone on a trail when he came across what he said were two grizzly bears, one of which attacked him, suffered serious injuries to his legs but was able to walk to find help before being transported to hospital.